To 2001!
by Skye Rocket
Summary: Skye was staying home with her little brother, while her parents went on a long business trip. Then, she had a few visitors...
1. The Visitor

To 2001!  
Chapter 1  
"I'll get you, you wascally wabbit!" Elmer Fudd shouted. I giggled a bit. The cartoon rabbit ran off of the screen, followed by funny music. Then the cartoon went off. I laughed and went to go get more popcorn.  
  
I was filling the bowl when I heard a small thud. Burglars?  
  
"God, Skye, ya gotta lay of the sugar," I murmured. I went back to emptying my popcorn into a bowl. I sat the bowl in a large red armchair and went down the hall to get a blanket. I walked back down the hall. But something about my chair caught my eye. It was turned around. I hadn't left it that way.   
  
All I could think of was that guy that escaped from prison yesterday. He'd been on the news 24/7 since they found out. I picked up my friend the baseball bat and softly put my hand on the chair. I whipped the chair around.  
  
"Auuuuuughhhhhhhhhhhh!" I shrieked. There was a clueless looking guy sitting in the chair. He had on some sort of Army uniform. I lifted the baseball bat.  
  
"AHHHHHHHHH!" he yelled. I whacked him across the kneecaps with the bat. I picked up the first thing I could find (which happened to be a shoe) and beat him over the head with it. He slumped back in my chair, obviously knocked out.   
  
"Oh crunk! I KILLED him! Oh man, oh man!" I shrieked and ran around in circles. I took a deep breath a walked over to the man. I found a pulse, and I was actually very relieved that I really HADN'T killed him. He groaned and sat up. Man, he was gonna kick my butt. He was a grown man and I was a teenaged girl.  
  
"Who are you?" he asked.  
  
"Uhhhh, Skye. Skye Rocket," I said slowly. "But who are you and WHY are you in my house?" I asked.  
  
"Rafe McCawley, ma'am." Hmmm, the name sounded kind of familiar.   
  
"Don't call me ma'am," I said crossly. He looked a little bit surprised. I slapped my forehead. "Doomed, I'm doomed to have weird things happen to me!"   
  
"Well, ma'am, that's very interesting, but do you know where Evelyn is?" Rafe said slowly. I looked up at him and shook my head.  
  
"...And where's my plane?" he continued to rant. I shook my head.  
  
"How am I supposed to know?" I asked, agitated. All of a sudden, Rafe caught sight of the TV. How he hadn't noticed it before, I have no idea.  
  
"Wow, what does this do?" he asked, pushing buttons. The TV suddenly turned on. Rafe yelped and pulled out his gun.  
  
"Look out ma'am! I won't let it hurt you!" I rolled my eyes and picked up the remote. The TV turned off. Rafe looked at me.  
  
"Where'd it go?" Rafe asked suspiciously.   
  
"It's a TV. You turn it off when you don't want to watch it anymore," I said. He looked confused. "You watch shows and movies on it."  
  
"But look, seriously Rafe, where did you come from?" I asked.  
  
"I dunno! I was playing chicken with Danny at Pearl Harbor and we were blowin' up the Japanese planes and then poof! I was here!" He explained, using elaborate hand gestures. I made a confused face and nodded.  
  
"So you're telling me that you're stuck here?" I asked.  
  
"Well, ma'am, it seems that way." I groaned and banged my head of the wall.  
  
"Listen, my mom and dad will be gone for two weeks. I'm here with my brother. So while they're gone, you can stay here."  
  
"Oh, thank you ma'am!" he said in a sickeningly enthusiastic way.  
  
I sighed.   
  
"It's gonna be a long two weeks."  
  
  
  



	2. Skye Learns of Rafe and Danny's Little P...

A/N: Rafe, Danny, etc. I do own Skye and her brother Allen.  
  
To 2001!  
Chapter 2  
  
After watching at least three movies and telling Rafe "Don't touch that!" about nine times that, I decided I needed to go to bed, for the sake of my sanity. I stumbled down the hall and up the stairs. After changing into my pajamas, I jumped into bed and dozed off, finally.  
  
The next morning I woke up early. Being the nice person I was, I decided to cook a nice, big breakfast for Rafe and I. I stumbled down the hall, and as I passed his door, I heard him mumble "You stole my girl, you dirty traitor," and some curse words I couldn't make out.  
  
I found the ingredients to make bacon, scrambled eggs, and waffles. I was squeezing an orange for orange juice when Rafe walked down the hall.  
  
"Morning," I said, not looking up. He mumbled a greeting. I set a plate of steaming waffles in front of him, along with bacon and eggs. Setting down a glass of fresh orange juice next to the plate, I sat across from him with my food.   
  
I looked at him, shoveling a piece of egg in my mouth.  
  
"Eat up; it'll get cold." He looked at me.  
  
"Nah, I'm not hungry," he said, pushing his plate away. I gasped.  
  
"You did not just say that," I said. He nodded.  
  
"Yes I did ma'am."  
  
"I spent an HOUR cooking breakfast. For YOU! Eat it, eat it!" I shrieked. He obediently stuck a piece of bacon in his mouth.   
  
"This IS good, ma'am," he said politely. I grinned.  
  
"Heard ya talking to someone this morning, dude," I said.  
  
"Dude?" he asked.  
  
"Never mind. Who were you talking to?" I said, eating a piece of syrup-soaked waffle.  
  
"Danny."  
  
"Yeah, I heard you say something' about him last night. What'd he do to you? You said he stole your girl this morning," I said. Rafe hung his head.  
  
"OK, OK, I'll tell you. This is Danny, my best friend," he said, holding out a picture.  
  
"DANG! What a hot guy! I mean, please continue," I said. He eyed me closely and then began again.  
  
"Anyway, I saw this very pretty nurse, and I had to take a test to get into the Army. I almost flunked because of the eye test. Not because I couldn't see, but I just get letters mixed up sometimes. She passed me anyway.  
  
"I was very grateful, so I wanted to tell her so. OK, I wanted to ask her out on a date. Anyway, she was doin' shots, and I already had had one. I stole another guys medical folder and used that.  
  
"I asked her out, and she gave me the shot TWICE that time. So I passed out and broke my nose on a table. I asked her to have some champagne with me, and when I took the cork off the bottle, it hit me in the nose!"  
  
"Figures," I said.  
  
"Anyway, we fell in love. So I had to go to England to help them fight the war, and there, my plane got shot down! I lived, but everyone thought that I died! So Danny and my girl Evelyn thought I was dead, so Danny and Evelyn got together! And then I came back!"  
  
"And they were hooked up?" I asked. He nodded.  
  
"That must suck," I sympathized.   
  
"How can it suck?"  
  
"It means that that's BAD." I knew I shouldn't use so much slang from our time so I wouldn't confuse him, but I couldn't help it. And he'd probably catch on. Just then, I heard a car horn outside.  
  
"MAN! I completely forgot!" I shrieked, pulling Rafe out of the chair. "Go down to your room, and take your food with you!" And boy, did Rafe run. OK, OK, I know you're wondering why I was so freaked out by the honking horn.  
  
Well, the reason is about four and a half feet tall, with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes.  
  
Yep, that's right. Allen is home. Who's Allen? Allen is my younger brother. Allen scares me a little bit.  
  
Just then, Allen burst through the door. He'd been spending the night at a friend's house. But why did Rafe have to go and hide? Because Allen would freak. He'd think I either had a secret boyfriend, or I was being robbed.   
  
But first, let me tell you this. I did not think Rafe would rob us (I bet most of you didn't either). He seemed too nice and simple for that. I also did not like-like Rafe.  
  
"Skye, look what Carl gave me!" he said, holding up a large plastic cowboy. I smiled.  
  
"Ummm, Allen, follow me. I gotta show you something." I led him down to our parent's room where Rafe was staying. I opened the door.  
  
"Hi there, little boy!" Rafe said. Allen's mouth dropped open.  
  
"Auuuuuuuuuuuugh!" he shrieked. "Who the heck IS that?"   
  
"Uhhhh, Allen, this is Rafe." I tried to explain.  
  
This was about to get even more complicated.   



	3. We Have Another Visitor (Thanks to Sara ...

Disclaimer: Still don't own anything.   
  
A/N: Hi! I just wanna say thanks to all of you who reviewed!  
  
Sara  
Kitty Kat   
Huntress Minerva  
LunaTyger  
Axlette  
Amitsgrl029  
Tabbycat2000  
Thank you! You have no idea how much I enjoy getting reviews!  
  
NOTE: As much as Rafe is not my favorite character, this will probably not be a Rafe-bashing session. I dislike him, but Skye and Allen will only scream at him when he frustrates them.  
  
To 2001!   
Chapter 3  
  
Allen hit the floor.  
  
"Allen? Hey, buddy? You OK?" I said, stepping around his fainted form. I looked up at Rafe.  
  
"Oops?" he said slowly. I nodded. Just then, Allen sat up.  
  
"Who is he!?" Allen yelped.  
  
"Allen, this is Rafe. Listen, this is going to sound SO weird. Uh, Allen, do you remember that movie we saw a while ago? You know, 'Pearl Harbor?'" I rattled.  
  
"Yeah, of course! That was tight!"  
  
"Um, this is Rafe."  
  
"Rafe as in bar-fighting Evelyn-loving plane-flying Rafe?" Allen asked with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"The very one," Rafe said from behind me. "In fact, I got into a fight last night at a bar!"  
  
"We know," Allen and I both said. I ran a hand through my hair. This probably wasn't going to be easy. But just then I heard footsteps in the hall.   
  
"Aww man. Anymore surprises for me today, Skye and Rafe?" Allen said.  
  
"I'm drawing a blank here," I said, staring at the door. I picked one of my mom's high-heeled shoes and held it a little bit over my shoulder like a weapon. I walked slowly to the door, which was partly closed. They footsteps were right outside the door now. I took a deep breath and flung open the door.  
  
"Auuuuuuuuuuuugh!" I shrieked. I looked at the guy standing right outside of the room. He had brown hair and brown eyes, and if the situation wasn't so freaky, I might tell him he was hot.  
  
"Danny!" Rafe said in disbelief from behind me. I turned to him. It was then I saw Allen, who was right behind Rafe, cowering in fear. I laughed and turned back to Danny.  
  
"Rafe!" he yelped, running over to him and hugging him. I knew they were best friends, but that was a bit too much. I shuddered.   
  
"Who are you?" Danny asked.  
  
"I'm Skye, and this is Allen." I left the room, but all of the guys followed me to the kitchen. "Anyone want anything to eat?" Rafe and Danny raised their hands. I looked at Allen.  
  
"Carl and me had cold pizza for breakfast," Allen explained. I made a face and shrugged.  
  
"Fine, fine guys. Rafe, I'll get you some more bacon. Danny, I'll make you a waffle or two," I said. Danny nodded and Rafe smiled. So I set towards the oven and cooked yet again. I didn't notice what was going on in the dining room until I walked in with the food.  
  
I gasped. Allen had set up an entire war scene on the table with his Army men. I shook my head.  
  
"Rafe, Danny, lookit! I'm re-creating the Doolittle Raid with my Army men!" Allen exclaimed. I sighed. Leave it to my brother to set up something elaborate where something would take place.  
  
"What's the Doolittle Raid?" Danny asked curiously.  
  
"Allen, from the point in time the guys came here from, the Doolittle Raid hasn't happened yet," I exclaimed. Allen nodded.  
  
"You guys oughta read 'Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo,'" my younger brother suggested. I rolled my eyes. Leave it to Allen to suggest a war book to Danny and Rafe.  
  
Danny and Rafe gobbled their food greedily. After the finished, Danny noticed the computer.  
  
"Wow, neat! What does this do?" he exclaimed, pushing a few buttons. But all of a sudden, a message popped up on the screen.  
  
FATAL ERROR. ALL FILES DELETED.  
  
"Noooooooooooo!" I shrieked. "No, no, no," I sobbed, sinking to the floor in front of my computer. I banged my head on the desk.  
  
"How COULD you?" I heard Allen shriek. "She loved those files!" This was weird, because dearest Allen would never have usually done this. I heard Danny mumble an apology.  
  
I stood up and wiped a tear from my left eye. Of course I was over-reacting, but those files contained my first stories! I stood up and walked down to my room to listen to a CD. But when I got there, I noticed that Rafe had followed me.  
  
"What's that?" he said, pointing at the CD.  
  
"A CD. Or if you want to get technical, a compact disc."  
  
"What does it do?"   
  
"It plays music." I put the CD in the player and listened to a few songs. Rafe stared at it in awe.  
  
"That-that's incredible!" he stammered. I rolled my eyes. Sure it was kind of cool, but not 'incredible.'  
  
I heard a thud down the hall and then I heard Danny say "Oops."  
  
I could only imagine what had happened.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
OK, I will be mean and stop here. Look for more later!   
  
  



	4. Cowboy Bob Meets His Match

A/N: I own nothing! Again, thanks to all of you who reviewed!  
  
To 2001!  
  
I gasped. What had Danny done? If he had put my floppy disks in the waffle iron or something, I would kill him! I ran down the hall, almost afraid to open my eyes to see what horrible scene of ruin lay ahead.  
  
It wasn't quite that bad. But for Allen it was. Danny had tried to make the plastic cowboy Carl had given Allen hold up the lid to the waffle iron. The cowboy fell back ward into the still-hot iron. The cowboy melted and had a waffle pattern on it's back.  
  
It was all I could do to keep from laughing. Allen's mouth was open in shock, and I was afraid that he'd leap on Danny and try to kill him. Actually, he had done that to me several times before when I told him he had no life and such.  
  
"You, you, you killed Cowboy Bob!" Allen stammered. And with that he opened the waffle iron and pulled the sticky mess that was Cowboy Bob off of the iron. Tears welled in his eyes. He sat the gooey, melted body of the tiny plastic action figure on the counter and then walked over to Danny.   
  
He leapt upon him, beating him with a wooden spoon he had picked up. Danny shrieked and tried to get the shouting ten year old off of his shoulders. I had to admit it was kind of funny, but instead of standing there and laughing my head off like a complete lunatic, I ran over to Allen and took him off of Danny. Allen ran down the hall to avoid punishment.  
  
"Why did you put Cowboy Bob in the waffle iron?" I asked, staring him in the eye.  
  
"Well, um, that little boy, Allen, I think, he, uh, told me that the cowboy was strong enough to hold it up and that I should try it. So I did," Danny explained hesitantly. "But I accidentally cooked Cowboy Bob."  
  
Now, this was too much. A grown man standing there, blubbering over a plastic COWBOY toy? I cackled.  
  
"That's hilarious! And don't you worry, Dan-the-Man. He'll get over it."  
  
Danny looked at me oddly. I think it was the whole "Dan-the-Man" remark.  
  
"But seriously, Danny, if a man named 'Doolittle' ever asks you to go on a raid to Tokyo with him, say NO! Please, for the love of cheese, do NOT go on the Doolittle Raid!" I blurted. Oh, man, now I was interfering.   
  
"But I already know a man named Doolittle," he said.  
  
"Auuugh! It has begun! A downhill spiral that will eventually cost you your LIFE!" I shouted, running from the room.   



	5. The Fight

To 2001!  
Chapter Five  
  
"You WHAT?!" Allen shouted. "You TOLD him he would die?!" I looked at my feet and nodded sheepishly. He groaned.  
  
"Why are you yelling at me? What did I do?" I asked.  
  
"Don't you get it?"  
  
"Get WHAT?"  
  
"By telling him that, you have changed history!"  
  
"Maybe for the better."  
  
"Skye, I believe everything happens for a reason. And maybe he was supposed to die!"   
  
"Allen, I don't believe in fate or whatever you want to call it." But just then Rafe walked in. But next to him was a woman in a nurse's outfit.  
  
"Lemme guess. Evelyn?" I said sarcastically. She nodded. "Arrrrrrrrrg!" I banged my head on the wall. "This is not possible!" I groaned. And then, to make matters worse, Danny walked in. He gasped.  
  
"Evelyn!"  
  
"Hi Danny," she said quietly.   
  
"Can someone tell me what is going ON here?!" Allen yelled at the top of his lungs as Danny shot death glances at Rafe and Evelyn.  
  
"Uh, this is my girl," Rafe said to no one in particular.  
  
"No, she's mine," Danny said fiercely. Uh oh. Why me, why me?   
  
"That's where you're wrong," Rafe said. And with that, he slugged Danny across the mouth. Allen cheered. Evelyn gasped. I tried to think of a way to break up the fight that was starting right in front of us.  
  
Danny looked shocked and angry, and then kicked Rafe in the stomach. Rafe groaned and stumbled over to Danny, slapping at him wildly. Danny grabbed Rafe by the collar and threw him towards the sink. Finally I found my voice.  
  
"HEY! HEY! BREAK IT UP!" I shouted. They turned their heads to look at me. "Stop that! This is not some sort of bar where you can beat the tar out of each other! Get over it!" I couldn't believe I was doing this. Usually I wasn't all that outgoing, but I had a crisis, so what else could I do?  
  
"Yeah, stop acting like me and Skye when we get into a fight!" I heard Allen speak up.  
  
"I'm very sorry, ma'am," Rafe said quietly.  
  
"You two, we need to work this out," Evelyn said. I nodded.  
  
"Right on," I said. They looked at me strangely. "BUT, if you decide you want to beat each other up anymore, do it in the backyard. I don't want to get blood on the carpet or anything." And so they left for the yard obediently. I sighed. At last, some peace around here.  
  
"We have got to find out how to get rid of them! They are stealing our room and peace of mind! By the end of two weeks, Mom and Dad will be forced to commit us!" I wailed. Allen nodded sympathetically.  
  
"But I still can't believe you told Danny he'd DIE!" He shrieked. I groaned; he'd probably never let me forget that. I knew it probably wasn't a good idea to tell him, but I couldn't help it!  
  
But then we decided it would be a good idea to quietly sneak out on the porch and watch. Besides, we needed to water our mother's plants anyway, so we had a cover. I beckoned to Allen to follow me.  
  
I picked the watering can and filled it with water and handed it to Allen. We walked out the back door onto the deck. Out on the deck, it was like a jungle. Mom had plants all over, and hanging baskets hanging from the rain gutter. I knew we'd need more water, but this was a good start.   
  
Walking over to a large flower box with geraniums planted in it, I switched into Nosy Mode. I peered over the railing at what was going on down in the yard. It seemed that Evelyn and Rafe were doing most of the talking. Danny was looking at all of the things in the yard. The big bushes, the bird feeder, everything except the other two.  
  
But all of a sudden, Danny stood up a screamed at the top of his lungs: "THAT'S NOT TRUE AND YOU KNOW IT!" I heard everything clearly and it was all I could do to not burst out laughing. Allen looked at me, and it was even harder to not cackle evilly. We shook with silent laughter. We were lucky they hadn't seen us, but it would be hard for anyone to see through all of the plants.  
  
Allen and I went back to watering plants, but we glanced up every so often to see what was going on down in the grass. And finally, it came.   
  
"Oh yeah?" Rafe bellowed, punching Danny in the nose. Danny groaned and kicked Rafe repeatedly in the shins. Rafe shrieked in fury and leapt on Danny's shoulders, beating him with his fists like Allen had done. I gestured to Allen and he looked down in the lawn, where Danny had punched Rafe in the back.  
  
I was laughing so hard, tears poured down my cheeks and I spilled half of the water in the can. I had to quickly walk inside to fill my watering can and keel over with laughter. Allen followed me in and got some more water. We exchanged a look, and burst out laughing.  
  
We were still laughing when Rafe stumbled through the back door with a bloody nose. Danny followed with a black eye. Evelyn was behind with a shocked look on her face. But then, it happened. The doorbell rang.  
  
Why was this a big deal? When the doorbell rings, the neighbors come...  
  
**********************  
Just to be mean, I will stop here. And now for an important message!  
  
OK, you may have wondered, so here you go. The character of Skye is based on me, and the character of Allen is based on my brother. And Allen is my brother's middle name; Skye is my pen name (obviously). I would have used Trevor's (my brother) pen name, but I didn't think he'd like it if his name was Toad Rocket.   
  
Thanks for reading! *waves* Bye!  



	6. Lionel, Three Layer Cakes and an Invisib...

Skye's Notes: Three notes:  
  
1. My birthday was 2 days ago, and from my brother (that's right, "Allen") I got the Pearl Harbor soundtrack!  
2. I'm really sorry, but this will be the last time this story is updated for a week. Why? Tomorrow, I leave for a trip to Yellowstone. But I will be writing A LOT in the car, and I may write a chapter or two of To 2001. Needless to say, I will be very close to my family after this.  
3. In this chapter, you'll notice Skye mentions "Super Mega Army Man" and "The Adventures of the Invisible Elf." These are not real, but I do own the ideas.  
  
With all that said, here, for your reading enjoyment: To 2001!  
  
To 2001!  
By Skye Rocket  
Disclaimer: I own Skye and Allen, but Danny, Rafe and Evelyn are not my characters.  
*************  
"Don't move, don't talk," I whispered. "Maybe if they don't know we're here, they'll go away."  
  
"Skye, that never works," Allen murmured as I walked slowly over to the window. I peered out through the shades.  
  
"It's Lionel!" I hissed. Rafe had wiped the blood from his nose.  
  
"I'll get it!" he said, grinning. I supposed he thought he was doing us a favor. After a chorus of "No, don't answer it!" yells from Allen and I and a series of confused looks from Danny, Rafe and Evelyn, Rafe finally opened the door. And, as predicted, Lionel started talking a mile a minute.  
  
"Hi! Can Allen play? I'm Lionel and I live across the street! Who are you? Are you Allen's uncle? No, you don't look like him. Why are you here? Are you a burglar? What makes grass green? How come the sky's blue? Skye! Can Skye play too?" he rattled. Rafe had a flustered look on his face.   
  
"Uh, Allen and Skye can't run now? I mean play. Yeah, play," Rafe replied after watching us do Charades from upstairs to make him say what he said with a series of complicated gestures.  
  
With that, Lionel nodded. "Ok, bye, see ya later!" Rafe closed the door. Allen let out the breath he had been holding.   
  
"That was disturbing," Danny said, not taking his eyes off of the door.  
  
"We have to deal with that 24/7 since Lionel moved in," I said. Danny shuddered. I nodded. "Now what?"   
  
"Uh, my eye hurts," Danny said.   
  
"No kidding. Come on," I muttered. I filled a bag with ice and handed it to Danny. He held it over his eye. I sat down in one of the yellow chairs in the kitchen and sighed. I took some crackers and spread peanut butter on them. I gobbled it down, getting a strange look from Danny.  
  
"Want some?" I said with a mouthful of cracker, making crumbs fly everywhere. He shook his head. I brushed the crumbs off the table. I ate a few more peanut butter-cracker sandwiches and then went into the computer.  
  
"Let's see if I can't get my files back," I mumbled to myself. After hours of manipulating my computer system, I had managed to get the files back, but I felt myself ready to doze off. I stumbled down the hall and changed into some pajamas. I flopped onto my bed and dozed off.  
*********************  
"Skye?" he said again. I opened my eyes.  
  
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed. Danny was standing over me. I sat up, panting. "What do you want?" I yelped.  
  
"Breakfast?" he suggested.  
  
"Have some cereal." I assumed he left, so I went back to sleep. In a matter of minutes, somebody poked me.  
  
"I'm hungry!" they whined. I looked up and saw that Danny hadn't left. I rolled my eyes.  
  
"Go AWAY. I'm trying to sleep here!" I grumbled.  
  
"But I'm-," I rolled my eyes. I knew the last word would be 'hungry.'  
  
"I don't care! Eat something! I don't care what, just leave me ALONE!" I bellowed. He looked a bit freaked out and then he left. I heard one of those shows only Allen would watch, like "Super Mega Army Man" and "The Adventures of the Invisible Elf."   
  
Super Mega Army Man was the story of an Army man moving up in rank. He was shot by a laser and turned into Super Mega Army Man! Now he fights crime! I knew it was lame.  
  
The Adventures of the Invisible Elf was about an elf that lived in a magical forest. He carried around a bag of magic dust, so when he needed to, he could sprinkle some on himself and become invisible. The Elf was being followed by an evil queen bent on world domination.  
  
I groaned and rolled over, pulling a pillow over my head. Someone jumped on my bed.  
  
"Invisible Elf Power Up!" I heard Allen scream in my ear. I bolted up in horror.   
  
"Auuuuuuuuuuuugh! Go away! Can't a girl get ANY sleep around here?" I shrieked, running from the room. I took a deep breath. I was already in a bad mood. This was not a good sign.  
  
I mumbled about not being appreciated as I stumbled down the hall, still half asleep. "The Adventures of the Invisible Elf" intrigued Evelyn and Rafe. Allen walked down the hall and sat next to them and then explained the entire plot line of the show, going into great detail, even telling the color of the Queen's magic eyes (gray).  
  
Rafe and Evelyn kept watching TV until "Magic Levitating Turkey" was over. I rolled my eyes. I hated shows like that, so I did the only think I could think of. I baked a cake with three layers. I walked down the hall to get a few mints out of the candy dish to stud the cake with, but as soon as I took a mint, I heard a splat, and a curse word.  
  
What had happened now?   
  
  
  



	7. Skye Decides the House is Getting Boring

Disclaimer: I only own Skye, Allen, Lionel, Mike, Gary and Kelsey.  
  
Author's Note: Hee hee, I have returned from Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. I am not tired, I swear. Today I spent seven hours reading "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." This will be a long chapter.  
  
To 2001!  
  
My breath caught in my throat.  
  
"Please, please let the cake be all right," I wished out loud. For one, if the cake was a messy, chocolaty pulp, I'd have to clean it up and no one would get any to eat! I ran down the hall as fast as I could, and what I saw shocked me.  
  
"ALLEN!!!" I roared. He stopped dead in his tracks. Slowly, he turned to face me. His hands were smeared with cake.  
  
"Skye, I can explain everything," Allen said slowly.  
  
"You better, before I get angry beyond all reason."  
  
"You see, I was only trying to help you out," he began. I raised an eyebrow. "I thought the cake was finished, so I was going to carry it over to the dining room table. I was walking toward it, but Rafe didn't know I was carrying a cake. He shoved, ya know, like a joke, but I smashed into the wall, and so did the cake! I tried to scoop it off, but I couldn't!"  
  
I gasped. "You did that?" I asked unbelievingly. He nodded.   
  
"But Rafe was swearing," He added. I couldn't help but laugh. I walked into the dining room and saw my cake splatted onto the wall, like a fly smashed on a windshield. I sighed, taking a pair of sponges and a bucket.  
  
"RAFE!!" I shouted. He ran into the room a few seconds later.  
  
"Why, hello there, ma'am!" he said enthusiastically. I rolled my eyes.   
  
"No time for that. I understand you were part of this little 'cake fiasco,' were you not?" I said hastily.   
  
"Well ma'am, I suppose-," he started.  
  
"You are going to clean this off, and so are you, Allen." And so, they did. I walked into the living room where Evelyn was still watching a stupid children's show that Allen loved. Flopping onto the couch, I sighed and picked up the remote. I changed the channel. Besides, I'd rather watch "Boy Meets World" than "Ninja Fighter Turtle." Evelyn jumped a foot into the air.  
  
"What happened?!" she shrieked.   
  
"I changed the channel."  
  
"Wow!" I know, I know, this was all new to them, but all of the modern things my family had gotten so used to using really didn't amaze me. Their enthusiasm was really starting to get on my nerves. I continued to watch TV until the doorbell rang yet again. I groaned and stood up. But before I could get there, Danny opened the door. It was Mike, the other neighbor who admired Allen deeply.  
  
"Can Allen come out?" Mike asked Danny, his eyes wide. "WAIT! Who are you?"  
  
"I'm a hug. No, a relative! Relative, uh huh, that's who I am," Danny said, watching us perform another round of charades. "But sorry, Allen can't come out now." And with that, he hastily shut the door.  
  
"We have got to get them to stop coming over here!" Allen said from the dining room, proceeding to go into planning an elaborate trap to catch the neighbors when they ring the bell, which involved a bowling ball and a strainer. I sighed as I turned the air conditioner on full blast.  
  
"It is too hot. 111 degrees is a bit much," I said to no one in particular. Danny nodded, sitting down on the floor to watch television.   
  
"But what can we do?" he said slowly.  
  
"Well, we could challenge Lionel, Gary and Mike to a water gun fight," I suggested. But seeing Danny's expression quickly blew away that idea. But fortunately, the doorbell rang. I looked out the window, and seeing it was my friend Kelsey, who was also Mike's sister, I ran to answer the door.  
  
"Hey. Come on in," I said, opening the door.  
  
"Can you and Allen come to the pool with Mike and I?" she asked. I nodded.  
  
"I suppose," I said, picking up our pool passes. "But what about-,"   
  
I didn't have time to finish. Allen ran down the stairs and jumped on my back.  
  
"Hi Kelsey! We get to go to the pool?!" he shrieked.   
  
"Only if you get off of me and get Mom and Dad's pool passes for me," I said crossly.  
  
"Why do you need your parent's pool passes?" Kelsey asked.  
  
"Because of my... aunt and uncles," I explained in reference to Danny, Rafe and Evelyn. Kelsey nodded.  
  
"But that means you only have 4 passes. You need 5." I scrambled up the stairs and took a twenty-dollar bill.  
  
"Money can fix that," I said, holding the money up.  
  
"Get dressed and let's go!" Kelsey said happily. Uh oh, I thought, bathing suits. Quickly changing into my own and putting on some shorts also, I scrambled down the hall.  
  
"Small dilemma," I said. Kelsey raised an eyebrow. "Bathing suits."   
  
"Oh yeah," she said.  
  
"Do you have money?" I asked Danny, who was now standing next to us, listening to our conversation. He nodded, holding up a fifty-dollar bill. I snatched it away. "Listen, do you want to cool off?"  
  
"More than anything!" he shrieked. I rolled my eyes.  
  
"Then buy Evelyn, Rafe and yourself a bathing suit," I said. "Please?" He reluctantly agreed after I described the blistering sunlight, followed by the cold water of the pool. We headed to the garage. Bikes were another problem, but not after I decided Evelyn on my mom's bike, Danny on my father's bike and Rafe on Dad's old bike.  
  
We all got onto our bikes. I had the bag filled with towels, sunscreen and such. Just then, Kelsey and Mike rode up on their bikes.  
  
"Bad news," Mike said. We all gave him a questioning look, pressuring him to explain. "Lionel asked me to play, and I told him where we were going. Now he's begging his mom to take HIM."   
  
"Let's go! When we get there, he'll be there!" I said.  
  
"But you said I had to spend money!" Danny said. I nodded.  
  
"That's why he'll be there when we get there. We have to go to K-Mart!" I said, getting on my bike. "Now lets go!" We all rode out of the driveway and down the sidewalk.   
  
When we got to the store, Allen, Kelsey, Mike and I tried to get the trio back to the clothing department, but they stopped constantly as we passed the electronic department. Danny knocked over a display of Kodak film on the way, but nothing else major happened. But within an hour, everyone had a bathing suit; that was the important thing.  
  
On the way to the pool, we passed behind the McDonald's. This usually did not present a problem, but Rafe insisted upon stopping and seeing what the electronic menu did. When the voice asked him what he wanted to eat, he shouted and made a huge commotion. I was sure my face was red and on fire as we rode away, people watching us strangely. When we finally got to the pool, I noted that it was an hour and a half since we had left.   
  
Rafe was supposedly my dad, Evelyn my mom, and we paid for Danny with cash. When we got into the pool, the water was freezing, which surprised Danny beyond belief. He thought that if the pool was cold, it had to be cold outside. But anyway, we swam for a good twenty minutes, a Lionel-free twenty minutes. But suddenly, with a splash, he jumped in the water and ambushed Mike and Allen.  
  
Kelsey and I exchanged a look and swam away as fast as we could. If Mike and Allen ignored him, he'd move on to pestering us.   
  
"No, no, no!" Kelsey hissed. "Allen and Mike are coming over here, and Lionel is following them, and Gary is following him!" I gasped.  
  
"Swim for your life!" I whispered dramatically. We dove under the water and swam as fast as we could to the deepest area we could find, knowing Lionel could not follow us here. A few minutes later, Rafe showed up.  
  
"Lionel is looking for you girls! I told him you're over here. See, there he is now!" he said happily, pointing. Apparently, Lionel could swim out here. With that, I grabbed Rafe's arm and pulled him into the pool.  
  
"Never-do-that-again!" I said, dunking him with each word. "Now he'll come over here!"  
  
"Sorry," Rafe said guiltily. I frowned and accepted his apology. Lionel was not a fast swimmer, so we had plenty of time to get away. Kelsey and I made a dash for the girl's bathroom to hideout there for a minute. Unfortunately, something else had to happen. Rafe followed us in.  
  
Girls screamed. I shoved him out the door.  
  
"What?" he asked, not understanding what he had done.  
  
"This is the GIRLS bathroom!" I shouted. "Go away!" He murmured an apology. But in the middle of this horrible day at the pool, something good happened. Lionel had to go home. Allen and Mike cheered. We swam for hours, and it was only when we all started getting headaches from swimming so long that we changed clothes and rode our bikes home.   
  
"That was fun," Evelyn said. I agreed. Maybe having them around wasn't so bad, I thought as I made dinner. At least it's more interesting.   



	8. Rafe,Evelyn and Danny on the RAILROAD?!?...

Disclaimer: I only own the characters from 2001 unless they're celebrities and such.   
Basically, I own Skye, Allen, their parents and their neighbors.  
  
A/N: Gosh, this story is getting long… *sigh*   
  
To 2001!  
Chapter 8  
  
I sat in front of the fish tank, staring at my fish, Imhotep. He flapped his mouth   
noiselessly. Then he turn his tail and flickered away, swimming quickly. I tapped a few   
fish pellets into his cage and sighed.   
  
"Dinner! Where's dinner, Skye?!" shrieked Allen. I groaned.   
  
"Fine, fine, I'll make everyone a large meal even though we all had a piece of pizza at the   
pool!" I yelled back. I groaned again and stormed into the kitchen. I plunked pots and   
pans down onto the counter noisily. I angrily peeled potatoes and ground them up,   
practically crushing them into oblivion. I shook pepper into the almost-mutilated potatoes   
fiercely.  
  
"What are THOSE?" Rafe asked. "Are you playing with food again, Skye?" I gasped.  
  
"THESE ARE MASHED POTATOES!!" I screamed. "GO AWAY!!" Whoa. That was   
not a good idea. I usually don't freak out like that, please don't think I'm a raving lunatic   
or anything. I felt under-appreciated. Being badgered by Allen wasn't pleasant, and got   
the impression Rafe didn't like my cooking (Hmm, no kidding).  
  
Rafe just looked at me, which made me feel incredibly guilty. "I'm sorry, Rafe- really," I   
apologized. He broke into that grin of his.   
  
"Oh ma'am, I should be sorry, I criticized your cooking," he said perkily. I rolled my   
eyes. Maybe he was right, but kind of stupid and cheesy. I cooked some macaroni and   
cheese and bread and then collapsed in front of the computer. I decided to play "The   
Sims" so I could calm down a little bit.   
  
After making Brandi Amaloo (on the Sims) take the garbage out for the fifth time, I was   
tired beyond all reason. I stumbled down the hall to my room. I was about to get in and   
go to sleep immediately, but then I noticed that Allen was in my bed.   
  
"Ok, I'll use his," I said to myself. But Evelyn was in Allen's bed. And Rafe was in our   
parent's bed. And Danny was on the sofa bed. I groaned. "No bed in my own house?!" I   
hissed. I groaned and got my sleeping bag out of my closet. Rolling it out, the thought   
that I was under-appreciated forced it's way back into my mind.  
  
I fell quickly into a deep sleep, dreaming of fish and socks (don't ask). I slept good and   
well until 6:30 in the morning, until-  
  
"I LOVE THE FISHES 'CAUSE THEY'RE SO DELICIOUS!!!!" Allen shrieked as he   
jumped on the floor repeatedly, screaming in my ear. I screamed until my throat hurt. I   
looked at him, my eyes wide, my hair practically standing up on end. Why did he always   
do this to me?  
  
"Allen," I croaked. "Don't do that again." I fell back and covered my head with a pillow.   
"Now go away," I said, muffled slightly by the pillow. I frowned into the floor as I heard   
him whining. I tried to fall asleep, but now I was so shaken up by Allen's "hijnxs" that   
there was no way I could fall asleep, even if I wanted to.   
  
I groaned and got out of the sleeping bag, stretching my arms above my head. I changed   
into ripped-off jean shorts, blue flip-flop sandals; green and pink tie-dye t-shirt with the   
sleeves cut off and a blue Hawaiian shirt-jacket with palm trees on it. I braided my hair   
and headed out my door and down to the computer. I signed onto the Internet and saw my   
grandmother was on.  
  
Skye: Hi.  
Grandma: Hi, honey.  
Skye: What's up?  
Grandma: Well, Paw-paw and I were thinking of taking the motor car down to Baldwin   
and take you and your cousins and Allen…  
Skye: Yay!  
Skye: One problem.   
Grandma: What?  
Skye: See, some of Mom and Dad's friends are staying with us. Can they come?  
Grandma: Well, sure! The more, the merrier!  
Skye: I'll warn you, they're a bit um, eccentric.  
Grandma: OK. I have to go. We'll pick you up in forty-five minutes.  
Skye: OK. Love you, bye.  
Grandma: Love you too. Bye.  
  
I was positively delighted at the startling development in the day. With the end of the   
conversation, I signed off and ran down the hall. I ran into each of our "guests" and   
shook them awake, forcing them to wake up and get dress. I hastily explained the   
situation as I tossed them some clothes I thought would fit them.  
  
Throwing Allen some clothes, I explained to him what we got to do today. He raised his   
eyebrows when I got to the part about Rafe, Evelyn and Danny being our parent's   
"eccentric" friends.   
  
"You said that?" he said in an amused tone. I nodded, smiling sheepishly. He rolled his   
eyes. "This has made you loopy, Skye," he sympathetically. I nodded; it was sad but true.   
I sighed and left the room as Allen changed clothes. I walked into the living room and   
saw Evelyn sitting on the couch, fiddling with the remote.  
  
"You'll need to press that red button that says power on it," I called from the kitchen,   
where I was putting granola bars into a bag for our family to eat on the railroad. I rolled   
my eyes as I heard her gasp when the TV flickered on. I was amused at her surprise,   
though. But what would happen on the railroad?  



	9. No, of All the Bad Luck

Disclaimer: I don't own Evelyn, Danny and Rafe, or pretty much anything else.   
  
A/N: Thank you, THANK YOU, FanFiction.Net has RETURNED! *sniffle* Anywho…  
  
TO 2001!   
CHAPTER NINE  
  
The horn of my grandma's van honked loudly. I grinned.  
  
"Go outside and get in the car!" I yelled to Evelyn, who was weeping over a dramatic McDonald's commercial. She reluctantly agreed as Ronald McDonald comforted an ill child with a chicken McNugget.   
  
I climbed into the backseat of the van with Danny and Allen. "Hey Grandma, hey Paw-Paw. This is Danny, Rafe and Evelyn." I pointed to them.   
  
"Nice to meet you," she said perkily. I smiled and noticed they had brought Molly the dog with us to the railroad. This might just work out for the better, I thought. We drove away from the house and onto the freeway. I sighed and put my arm around Allen's shoulder as he furiously tapped buttons on his Game Boy.   
  
About twenty minutes later, we were still driving; Danny was looking out the window anxiously, Rafe was drumming his fingers on the armrest, Evelyn and Grandma were talking about the best commercials they'd ever seen, Paw-Paw was grumbling about insane drivers, Allen was praising his Pikachu with a Rare Candy, and I was trying not to be annoyed by all of these things. All of this occurred while Molly slept.  
  
After an agonizingly long ride of descriptions of Ronald McDonald ads, finger drumming, Pokemon Center Music, and enough swear words to last a lifetime, we arrived at the railroad, a block away from the depot. Allen shoved my arm off of his shoulder. My cousins leapt out of their white SUV to greet us. Molly jumped out of the red van and ran across the tracks. Luckily, we were the only ones who were using the rails today. The sun beat down on the ground, and waves of heat glistened above the pavement.  
  
All of a sudden, I was overcome with an odd feeling. I ran over to Paw-Paw.  
  
"Bathroom, bathroom, bathroom!" I yelled. "Please! Key! To! Depot!" I badly wanted him to give me the key so I could run. But a chilling thought crossed my mind: were there snakes out here? What if I was running down the tracks and a huge rattlesnake slithered across the tracks?  
  
Paw-Paw handed me the key, and I smiled weakly. "Thanks," I said. I grabbed Rafe by the wrist, beckoned for my cousins and Allen and Danny. We dashed around an abandoned block of old buildings and to the depot, all the while carrying a bowl Grandma had requested we fill with water for the dog. Finally, we made it to the depot. My hands shook as I opened the door, but I made it.  
  
I ran to the bathroom, and well, ya know. I walked out of the bathroom and pulled some money out of my pockets. We unlocked the door to the depot gift shop and ran in. I open the fridge, pulled out drinks and Hershey bars. I dropped the proper amount of money in the little donation can and walked out of the depot, locking it behind me. I stared down the track.  
  
"Ma'am, wouldn't it be quicker to just run down the tracks?" Rafe asked. Danny agreed, and so did my cousins. I tried to protest, but the ambushed me, begging annoyingly to take the faster way to where they were loading the motor car onto the tracks. I had no choice but to agree. We slowly walked down the tracks, Austin, Alden and Trevor running ahead. Mallory forced Danny to carry her on his shoulders, and he did. Rafe tried to put his arm around my shoulders, but I shrugged his arm away.  
  
And there it was. I felt something slither across my foot. I looked down. A black snake was a foot away from me. Well, you can imagine what I did. No, not that! I screeched, and almost leapt into Rafe's arms.   
  
"Omigod, omigod, omigod!" I yelled, tears pouring down my cheeks. Mallory laughed and clapped.  
  
"Cool, a snake!" she bellowed. With that I threw my arms around Rafe and cried for my mother. I dashed down the tracks, Danny, Rafe and Mallory following with confused looks on their faces. I ran all the way to my grandmother, and jumped up and down, making elaborate gestures, not a lot of sense and looking frighteningly like Rafe. I snapped out of it quickly when Paw-paw spoke up.  
  
"Who wants to go for a ride?"  
  
*******************************  
  
I sat down on the engine part of the motorcar next to Rafe and Alden.Allen, Mallory and Austin sat on the cramped, tiny floor. Paw-Paw and Danny sat in the seats. Evelyn, Grandma, Aunt Marleena and Uncle Tommy stayed back to chat about unknown topics. The engine roared to a start, shaking the heck out of my back-end. It was one of the loudest sounds I had ever heard. Danny whimpered. I reached up and patted him on the back.  
  
I feared Rafe and Danny might cry soon. I heard my cousin Austin murmur under his breath: "Wimps." I smiled faintly, and against my better judgment, I held Danny's hand. Yeah, I KNOW what you're saying. 'Skye, you hate Danny, you think he's stupid! Why are you HOLDING his HAND?' The truth is, I had no idea. Ok, I may have felt bad for him.  
  
What was the matter with me?  
  
  
**********************  
Yeah, bet ya didn't expect that! Boom! In your face!   
  
Um, sorry. My bad.   
  
I AM BACK!  



	10. Lacrosse, Pizza, Dragon Ball Z and Sonic

Disclaimer: I own only the characters you don't recognize from Pearl Harbor, the book or the movie. Plus, I don't own Krazy Bread, Boy Meets World, Sonic, lacrosse, 'I tawt I taw a puddy-tat', NSYNC, Frosty the Snowman or Dragon Ball Z.  
  
TO 2001!   
Chapter 10 (we made it!)  
  
The motorcar clattered across the rickety wooden bridge. I patted Rafe on the back as he muttered a prayer repeatedly as we rattled across it. I had to admit it. I felt bad for him. I guess I identified with him. I had been freaked out the first time I rode the car too, but seeing the guys I had spent about 3 days dissing like this was too much. I had to calm them down, even if it was unlike me.  
  
Rafe looked a bit surprised at the end of the bridge. He opened his eyes. "We're-we're ALIVE!" he said to me, so relieved he forgot to say 'ma'am.' I frowned. Then again, maybe Austin was right. He and Danny might be sissies. Oh well, so much for the goody-goody act.  
  
But then, there it was. The screeching sound of the brakes. No gas, it meant. A long walk, it meant. Blisters the size of Alaska, it meant. I wanted to scream. I wanted to jump up and down and cry my eyes out. Paw-Paw grimaced and shook his fists. I had to admit; it was funny. My cousins and Allen and I all exchanged a look, and we shook with silent laughter.  
  
But it wasn't funny anymore. The sun was setting slowly and it cast a spooky orangey glow on the fields of corn and wheat and the huge pond in the middle of the corn forest. I frowned again. I stood up and got out of the motorcar.  
  
"Better start pushin' it back."  
  
***************************  
  
"Skye, I'm TIRED!" Mallory griped. I sighed and stopped.   
  
"Sit here, hon." I put he into the seat in the now useless, gasless car and continued to push it.  
  
"Skye!" Danny said shrilly.   
  
'Shut up, she's seven, you're um, I don't know how old! So you will help us!" I barked, exhausted, and we were nowhere near back yet. I saw Allen, Alden and Austin whispering and giggling. At this point, I didn't care if they were talking about crude, R -rated material. I couldn't cry, I couldn't get a free ride like my cousin. I was the oldest.  
  
"Let's sing a song, you guys." There. The only distraction I could think of. So we sang every NSYNC song we could think of. Still only half way there. Every Christmas song. We were ALMOST there. After finishing the third round of 'Frosty the Snowman,' our families appeared. Evelyn squealed and kissed Rafe. Danny's mouth dropped open. I did it again. I grabbed his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He looked like he was in tears.  
  
It was pitch dark outside. It had taken us two hours to walk back from our place of misery. So I was a bit surprised when Grandma said it.  
  
"Let's go back to my house." So Mallory, Austin, Alden, Allen and I piled into the van, Grandma and Danny in the front.   
  
"Sonic, must have Sonic," my cousins, Allen and I all said at the same time, on cue from me. Grandma sighed and drove into the nearest Sonic.  
  
1. One large vanilla shake for Skye  
2. Three grape Slushies for Allen, Alden and Austin.  
3. One strawberry limeade for Grandma  
4. One medium chocolate shake for Mallory  
5. One cherry limeade for Danny.  
  
The waitress carried our drink tray out and handed it to Grandma. She paid and we drove away. I drank my shake like I hadn't had anything to drink in years. Danny gingerly sniffed his and took a drink. He saw how good it was and guzzled it.  
  
I grinned and settled back. Mallory was sitting next to me and the boys were sitting in the back. Mallory and I decided to make bead animals with the bucket of beads I had accidentally left in Grandma's car at one time. I began crafting the second tick I had ever made while I thought about my unusual activities, you know, being 'nice' to Rafe and Danny? Ah, yes you remember now.  
  
My head throbbed as I sipped the icy drink. Was I all right? I really felt kind of cruddy. Come to think of it, my throat did kind of hurt. I shivered involuntarily. I needed a nap. Yep, just a nice, long nap. I had been working way to hard, anyway. And as I dozed off, one thought crossed my mind: I know how my mom feels.  
*******************  
  
"Skye! Come on! Grandma and Paw-paw are ordering some pizzas!" I heard Mallory shriek. I shook my head and wiped a small trail of drool off my cheek. I thanked her and got out of the van. Standing up, I noticed the familiar surroundings of Grandma's garage. Boxes of useless items, a basketful of lamps and much more cluttered the room.  
  
I ran inside. "Pizza, stuffed crust!" I shouted. After an angry yell from Paw-Paw, I went out onto the back porch with Austin, Allen, Mallory, Alden, Danny, Rafe and Evelyn.   
  
"Turn on the bug lights, Allen."  
  
"You have to light them!" he yelped. I groaned and ran into the house, seizing a pack of matches.   
  
"Grandma, I'm going to light the bug lights so we can play a game." She nodded. My feet clunked on the wood of the back porch as I walked out to the torches. I lit them and shook out the flame on the tip of the wooden match. The flames made the light from the torch flicker eerily.  
  
"What do you guys want to play now?" I asked.   
  
"Skye, can we play lacrosse?" Allen begged. I looked at my cousins.  
  
"Is that OK?" I asked. They agreed.   
  
TEAMS  
Green  
Rafe  
Skye  
Alden  
Allen  
Yellow  
Austin  
Danny  
Evelyn  
Mallory  
  
I explained the rules to Danny, Rafe and Evelyn. I answered questions and explained it again. As I concluded with "two hands on the stick at all times," I picked my green stick up and got the ball out of a box. We started out on the wooden porch. Yellow team, first possession. Evelyn tossed the ball to Mallory. She caught it and ran towards the goal and shot. Blocked by goalie Alden! Green team in possession! Alden passes to Allen. Catch!   
  
Allen passes to Rafe! Rafe drops it! He picks it up with his foot and takes off running! We score!  
  
This is great, I thought.   
  
*************************  
The yellow team had just won, and we were all coming inside, sweaty and grass-stained, the lot of us when the doorbell rang.  
  
"Pizza!" Allen, Alden and Austin yelled. I ran to the door. I whipped open the door. Oh man! Did we order all these pizzas?  
  
"Grandma! Pizza's here!" She came to the door. I smiled at the pizza boy and walked back into the living room. I took of my shoes and flicked on the TV.   
  
"Peace talks remain-."  
"And in today's news-."  
  
"I tawt I taw a puddy-tat!"  
  
"I dunno, Shawn. I don't think I should steal my dad's car." Ah. Boy Meets World. Finally, something good, I thought as I finished flicking through the channels. The boys screamed.  
  
"No, Skye!"  
  
"This show sucks!"  
  
"Change it!" I held the remote up over my head where they couldn't get it.  
  
"No! I chose Boy Meets World!" I shouted. The adults yelled at us to stop screaming. We all sat down. Then Allen decided to whine horribly.   
  
"Dragon Ball Z's on, followed by Pokemon!" he yelped. I wanted to shout "So WHAT?" But I couldn't. I forked over the remote and went into the kitchen for my pizza and Krazy Bread. I served myself 2 slices of the cheese and pepperoni, stuffed crust, and 2 Krazy Breadsticks.   
  
I turned around, and I noticed Rafe had followed me. I looked at him.  
  
"Why aren't you watching the violent content of Dragon Ball Z with the guys and Mallory?" I asked. He shrugged.   
  
"Just don't feel like it." I accepted that answer and sat down at the table. Rafe took some pizza and breadsticks.  
  
"Rafe, we still need to find out how you got here." I looked at him. He frowned, thinking hard.   
  
"And why I did, too." He smiled.   
  
"Yeah, that's true." I pondered as Allen, Alden and Austin screamed during a battle on TV. I nibbled my pizza.  
  
"Why do you think that Danny and Evelyn are here with me?" he asked, baffled. I shrugged.  
  
"We'll just have to figure that out."  
******************************  
  
End of chapter 10. Reviews will be appreciated.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	11. Home Videos, "Austin was here," a Pokemo...

Disclaimer: Last time I checked, I did not own Pearl Harbor.   
  
To 2001!   
September 16, 2001  
Chapter 11   
  
It was well into the night and we were still at Grandma and Paw-Paw's house. Grandma had decided that since we were all in the same place at the same time that we should have some sentimental time and watch home videos that hadn't been viewed for years. We all agreed after being persuaded by Allen, Alden and Austin. We popped up huge bowls of popcorn, got some Cokes and headed into the living room.   
  
I was sitting on the floor next to Mallory, Molly lying in front of us. Mallory held a monstrous blue bowl of buttered popcorn in her lap and absentmindedly letting Molly lick them out of her open palm. She giggled.   
  
Grandma should have been sitting in her gliding chair, but she was up, taking home movies out of the cabinets. She sat down, setting the huge stack on the floor next to her chair.   
  
Aunt Marleena sat on a footstool on the floor next to the straw-like rocking chair Uncle Tommy sat on. Danny, Rafe and Evelyn sat on the sofa, Evelyn leaning on Rafe. Danny grimaced. I really felt bad for him, and I wanted to invite him to sit with us, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.   
  
Paw-Paw sat in his usual spot on the other sofa. Allen sat next to him, Alden next to him and Austin next to him.   
  
Grandma put a tape into the VCR and hurried back to her seat.   
  
"Lights, Skye!" she said dramatically. I grinned and flicked off the lights and dashed back to my spot next to Mallory. Grandma turned the video on. A handwritten sign appeared in front of the camera.   
  
********************************  
VIDEO NUMBER ONE  
  
"It's 1992," Paw-Paw's videotaped voice said. "And we're at the railroad. Watching the train depart." My eyes witnessed a three year old me in pink sweatpants and a Minnie Mouse t-shirt. The train pulled away.  
  
"I hope it comes back," I heard my little three year old voice say. Two-year-old Austin was standing next to me. I grinned with recognition, watching the video.  
  
The video suddenly cut to the playground-picnic area at the depot. It showed Austin and I getting on ponies. I smiled, knowing what was coming. The ponies wandered around, led by women in jackets and sweaters since it was autumn. As Austin gets off of his pony, my pony stops for a second, halfway there.   
  
"Paw-Paw," little Austin says. "That horsey pee-pee'd." Everyone in 2001-land cackled.   
  
************************  
VIDEO NUMBER TWO!  
  
"Hi, we're here in 1995 on October 30th, having a Halloween party," Video-Grandma said. The camera focused on Alden in a Batman outfit. Allen was dressed as Casper. Mallory was having a butterfly costume put on her. Austin was a ninja and I was Pocahontas.  
  
I rambled off some obnoxious phrases on the television set. I grimaced now, putting my head in my hands. On the video, we played tag and ate candy. I grinned, vaguely remembering this as I dozed off.  
  
**************************  
  
"Skye," I heard Danny say. I blinked. "We're leaving now." I blinked again and sat up. Everyone laughed. I didn't know why at first but then I knew what they had done. They had played the "decorating" game. If someone fell asleep, ever, they'd put stuff on you.   
  
I had a Kermit the Frog doll under my arm, A Pokemon birthday hat, a clown nose and wig and my face had stars and such on it. I grimaced, sat up and walked to the bathroom, my flip-flops making flapping sounds. I scrubbed at my face to get the stars off of my face.   
  
Once I had gotten flowers, hearts, stars, and "Austin was here" off of my face, I climbed into Grandma's van. She, Paw-Paw, Danny, Rafe, Evelyn and Allen joined me. We drove home, Grandma and Evelyn gushing over the "cuteness" of the home videos we watched.   
  
As we neared the house, I fished my house key out of my pocket. I smiled and the car pulled into the driveway. I hugged and kissed my grandparents, thanked them and hopped out of the car, followed by the others. I waved and opened the door, seeing the moths and June bugs clustered around the porch light. I whipped open the door, held it open for everyone else and ran up the stairs.  
  
The answering machine was beeping in my parents' room. I walked down and pressed the button to hear the messages.  
  
"Hello, this is Chrysler Financial. Please return our call at-," BEEP. Deleted.   
  
Someone hung up without leaving a message.  
  
"How would you like to visit Jamaica?" Deleted after some hesitation.  
  
"Hey, Skye and Allen. It's Mom. We can't come home until next month. We are so sorry! We love you and we hope to see you soon. Bye." My knees began to tremble. I had to sit down to keep from falling down. I couldn't believe it!   
  
"Allen, come here," I said hoarsely. I heard his clumsy footsteps tramping down the hall. I saw his cheerful face as he walked into the room. He saw me and the smile faded faster that I could measure.   
  
"What is it?" he asked. My lips shook as I tried to say it.  
  
"We could have won a Jamaican vacation! But I deleted the message!" I said, a smile crossing my face. "And Mom and Dad aren't coming home until next month!"  
  
"Liar," he said.  
  
"They aren't! The project is taking longer than they thought it would," I explained. An unidentifiable emotion flickered on his lips. He finally grinned.  
  
"But Rafe and Evelyn and Danny..." he said absently. I nodded and grimaced.  
  
"Yep." We sat there for a minute.  
  
"Time for bed." We changed into our pajamas and climbed into our beds. I slipped into sleep easily.  
  
************************  
  
"Let's go water skiing," Rafe says. Allen claps and jumps up and down. Evelyn squeals with delight and even Danny cracks a smile. I nod.  
  
"Yeah, ok, let's go," I say. So we take the bus out to the lake with all of our beach stuff. I sit and look out the window. Finally, we arrive. I'm putting suntan lotion on Rafe's back because he whines that he can't do it himself when I see him.  
  
It's Dale, from school. I feel a lump in my throat. He looks my way.  
  
"Hey, look at Skye! What a loser...loser...loser...." He says to the suddenly appearing group of kids from school. They cackle.  
  
*************************  
  
I sat bolt upright and let out a small squeak. Sweat dripped from my forehead. I realized I was holding my breath. I inhale, relieved that it wasn't real.  
  
Maybe we'd stay around the house tomorrow.  
  
*************************  
  
The end of chapter 11. Yeppers peppers, I realize that that was a weird chapter, a change from the usual, perhaps?   



	12. Chasing a Squirrel on the Way Up To Enro...

Disclaimer: I own nothing.  
  
To 2001!  
Chapter 12  
  
The sun streamed into my window. I blinked. It looked perfect outside. Maybe it'd be all right to go to the pool or something. But there was always the dream. Did it mean something? I was almost fearing finding out. But I looked at the clock.  
  
"Noon?!" I yelped. Well, I had done it now. I slept until noon, for the first and hopefully last time in my life. I put on a pair of red shorts, a sleeveless, red-and-white striped shirt and pulled my hair into a ponytail. My feet slid into my flip flops and I darted down the hallway.  
  
"You guys! You let me sleep?" I shouted at Danny and Allen, who were sitting at the kitchen table playing with plastic cowboys and Indians. They looked up, alarmed.  
  
"Are we in trouble, Skye?" Allen asked fearfully. I shrugged.  
  
"Only if you think not getting up to our schools in time is a bad thing," I said. "Enrollment day?" I said, seeing his questioning look. His eyes flew open and he yelped.   
  
"That's today? It's only August 1st!" he said. I groaned. "Oh!" he said, finally seeing what was marked under today's date on our calendar. I nodded.  
  
"Now go get dressed!" I said, gesturing like mad down the hallway. "And try to wear a 'school spirit' shirt." He grimaced, thinking of the cheap t-shirts the school sold. "And you get dressed too," I said to Danny. And then it came to me. "Where are Evelyn and Rafe?"   
  
"They're watering the flowers on the deck," he said, pointing. My face was sure to be contorted in horror. I ran to the back deck.  
  
"What the heck?" I screamed. There was more water on the deck that there was on the plants! Rafe and Evelyn looked guilty.  
  
"We tried, really!" Evelyn piped up in a shrill voice. I held up my hand.  
  
"Whatever. Just get dressed," I said, grimacing at them when I saw they were in their pajamas. Lucky for us, plants blocked them from view. I headed inside, followed by the two plant-waterers. And the minute I stepped in, I saw Allen, completely dressed.  
  
"An Eminem t-shirt? Where the heck did you get that?" I screeched loudly.   
  
"I made it with a transfer. Mom said I could," he explained in his cheerful manner.  
  
"No, no, no! What will your new teacher say? What will the PRINCIPAL say?" I asked. "You're only in the fifth grade! Now go put on you nice little red shirt." He threw a fit, his smile turning into a frown, but I pointed him down the hall.  
  
Then Danny arrived in a white t-shirt and green shorts. I clapped my hands.  
  
"Good, good!" I said happily. He smiled.   
  
"But Rafe needs help finding something, and so does Evelyn," he told me. I nodded and made my way down the hall. When I opened the door to my parents room, they were both still in their pajamas, looking in closets and drawers. I shook my head, actually finding humor in it (for once).  
  
"OK, OK, here." I dove into the closet and handed Rafe a Kansas City Chiefs T-shirt and a pair of yellow shorts. Then I handed Evelyn a flowered shirt and some denim shorts and left. I gave them their shoes (which thankfully looked decent enough to be shoes from 2001) and socks and went to see what Allen was wearing.   
  
I opened the door to his room and was greeted by a rush of cartoon-y music from a video game. He sat, concentrating hard on making sure a little blue man didn't fall off of a moving car. He was wearing a lame gray shirt with a smiling yellow and blue hawk on it, winking obnoxiously at me (or so it looked).  
  
"It's time to go," I said, making him jump, but he shut off the game and stood up. I saw that he was wearing his black sandals and nodded. I got the house key and our checkbook and we headed outside and to the garage. We got our bikes and started riding to Allen's elementary school.   
  
Well, it was mayhem when we were at the end of the street. Rafe saw a squirrel and tried to chase it. He rode right into the middle of the street, where and on coming car was. The driver slammed on his brakes and shook his fist at Rafe. Needless to say, we were out of there pretty quick. The backpack I had made myself put on to carry our stuff itched my back terribly, and by the time we were there, I was thankful to get it off.   
  
We walked into the air condition goodness of the school and were greeted by a big blue poster that said what classes everyone was in.   
  
"Go see which one you're in," I told Allen.  
  
"Mr. James!" he cried after a few minutes of searching. Mr. James was my fifth grade teacher also. I put my arm around his shoulder and we walked to where we had to enroll. A few teachers sat at a desk.   
  
"Skye! Hello!" Mrs. G. said to me. I waved.  
  
"Hello, Mrs. G.," I said. She handed me Allen's emergency contact information list and pointed towards a table for us to sit at. I smiled and took the booklets and things that I knew we'd need.   
  
"OK, Mom's phone number at work..." I mumbled as I filled it out. Rafe watched with interest. But then I was finished. I took the checkbook out of our backpack and went up to pay for the lunch money. Mom and Dad had left me a bunch of blank checks to use for this if they weren't home.   
  
After I was greeted by the teachers at this station, I moved along after giving them a check also.   
  
But after talking to the school nurse, it was time for me to enroll at the junior high in the seventh grade. I hopped on my bike, all of the elementary school stuff shoved in there. My feet worked furiously as I pedaled my bike towards the school. It was surprising, but everyone was keeping up with me, and in what seemed like no time at all, we were there.   
  
I opened the door and smelled the pool as I walked towards the commons. I started by meeting the vice principal. He gave me another emergency contact sheet and a technology contract. I filled them out quickly and went to the PTO booth. I din't sign my parents up for anything, but I did have to take all of the "required flyers."  
  
Then I had my picture taken for my ID card. I signed up for a bus pass, and then I got my schedule. I paid in advance for a yearbook and athletic pass and my gym outfit. And then it was time to leave.   
  
"Let's go to Sombrero's!" Allen said.  
  
"OK." But if only we knew what we were getting into...  
  
*********************  
More later!   
  



	13. Cherry Cokes with Extra Extra Cherries

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters mentioned in my story from the movie of Pearl Harbor, though I do own Skye, Allen, their family and their neighbors.  
  
A/N: I'll bet you think that I was gone for good! I'm back! [cheerfully singing] Ooh, sorry. I Got Pearl Harbor on DVD for Christmas! Yeah, go me! But anyway, it's good to be working on this story again, because I am really, really, really proud of it!  
  
To 2001!  
Chapter 13 (Unlucky! Unlucky!)  
  
Sombreros was quiet and not busy at all, as usual. The usual waitress led us to our normal table in the back. I quickly ordered us all cherry cokes with extra, extra cherries before the time travelers could speak up. When the waitress brought us them, the first signs of disaster shone through the cloud of calm that had passed over our finally-tranquil group.  
  
Years later when I looked back, I might have found it somewhat funny, at least when Evelyn accidentally knocked over that first drink, but the first signs of humor in the situation were already fleeting when the coke washed into Danny's lap.   
  
His face turned red and before I knew it, he was picking up his cup and throwing the liquid inside of it at the nurse across the table from him. And of course, Rafe immediately flipped out and dumped Allen's soda over his own best friend's head.  
  
This event made Allen angry and he grabbed Rafe's soda, along with mine and slammed them into Rafe's chest, so Rafe snapped and seized up the basket of nacho chips and dumped them all over my younger brother.  
  
Of course, I wasn't harmed, but I just sat there, agape, watching all this happen, and I had never actually seen a real food (or in this case, soda) fight in my life, up until now. We all sat in shock, just staring at each other.  
  
But by then, I had to follow my first instinct. I slowly and quietly stood up and dragged the four food-fighters out the door and forced them to apologize to me. I was so angry, shocked, hurt, embarrassed and overall, totally less than amused. The ride home was a silent and rushed one.  
  
When we got home, I went into my room, slowly, and closed the door. A sigh escaped me, so I wrapped myself up in my beloved fleece blanket, and before I knew it, I was asleep...  
  
*****  
"Skye? I thought you might like some dinner," a man said. Must not be Rafe, I thought, he hardly ever calls me Skye. I blinked my eyes open, and saw Danny standing above me. I squeaked and wiped a trail of drool off of my cheek and sat up, taking the cup and plate that he held out to me.  
  
"Gee, thanks," I said, trying to be nice. The plate contained a smoky mass of eggs and a withered pancake. The cup had some Diet Coke in it. I gingerly ate a large piece of pancake. "Mmmm, it's good."  
  
His face lit up. "Really?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah! It's great!" I grimaced as a huge lump went down my throat but I forced myself to smile. I sipped the Diet Coke, which was the nicest thing I could do, since it was the best thing he had. I glanced at the clock.  
  
"It's only two o'clock," I observed. "I'll call Kelsey and see if she and Mike can go to the pool." Danny grinned happily as I picked up the phone and dialed. They said they could and told us to meet each other on our driveway in ten minutes.  
  
I shouted happily and darted down the hall, where Allen and Evelyn were shoveling their food into the garbage disposal. I shook my head.  
  
"Hurry up! We're going to the pool," I explained. Allen and Evelyn cheered. Rafe was in the backyard when I told him, suspiciously holding a shovel.  
  
"What are you doing?" I asked.  
  
"Be quiet!" he hissed. "Danny is an awful cook, so I'm burying all of my food!" I smiled.  
  
"Well, get ready now, we're going to the pool again," I explained. He smiled and ran into the house, me following him.  
  
We all put our suits on; got pool passes, money, towels and sunscreen and then we were off to the pool. This time we made sure to stay very far away from the McDonalds drive up window.  
  
At the pool, there was almost no one there for some inexplicable reason, maybe it was due to the large clouds that hung overhead.  
  
Evelyn, Kelsey and I were going off of the high dives, showing the guys how to when the first drop hit me right on the shoulder. I looked up and got hit right in the eye with a huge splat of water. I ignored it and jumped into the water off of the board.  
  
My feet touched the bottom, and I was glad I had taken a huge breath before I hit the water. I floated to the surface, and when I got there I heard the intercom telling everyone to get out of the pool. Kelsey and I groaned and reluctantly got out of the pool and wrapped our towels around our waists. We gathered up all of our stuff and headed to the exit, but a lifeguard was blocking it.  
  
"Kids, do you have a ride?" he asked.  
  
"We rode our bikes," Kelsey explained to him. He shook his head.  
  
"I'm sorry, but we aren't allowing people to leave until the storm passes. Sorry." I groaned and led everyone back to the deck part of the pool.  
  
"He's not sorry!" Allen said loudly. Rafe nodded and lightly punched Allen in the shoulder.  
  
"It's okay. I have an idea. Did you all bring your other clothes?" They nodded. "Okay, guys, go change now, and me, Evelyn and Kelsey will build a little shelter.  
  
"This is not fun," Kelsey said. I tried to think otherwise, but I knew she was right.  
  
************  
  
  
A Little Thought: You know that part in Pearl Harbor where the Japanese guys are in that little swimming pool poking plastic boats with long sticks? Last night I was watching that, I was really tired and cranked up on sugar, so I was like "What the heck?" That scene is incredibly absurd. It sort of bugged me though. And that scene where the Japanese dude sees those little kids playing with a kite and all of a sudden just says "Hey, okay, let's do an air attack!" Weird...  
  
I'm sad now, I haven't gotten reviews in SUCH a long time! And I honestly LIKE them a lot. 


	14. Escape, Pokemon Monopoly and a Strange S...

Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own Rafe, Danny or Evelyn or any other characters from Pearl Harbor, nor do I own any products, TV shows, movies, books, songs or any other form of media or object that you recognize! [exhales] Now that that's done with...  
  
A/N: Listen up, I took a lengthy break from the Pearl Harbor section, only to realize that even though this story is getting rather long and was posted a very long time ago that it is the fic that I am most proud of, and when I think of all the nice, cool people that reside in this section, I realize that To 2001! is my calling. Dear Lord! I sound like an English teacher!  
  
To 2001!  
  
Prison. Yes, it's a bad place, and now I was comparing it to the pool. A prison warden? Not a nice man. Now seen also in the form of an angry lifeguard. Geez, they don't even need an electric fence, just that stupid lifeguard. Evelyn, Kelsey and I had changed and now we joined Allen, Danny, Mike and Rafe in the large shelter we had made using chairs, two life jackets and towels.  
  
Let it be a lesson that close quarters are not good. Rafe and Danny were shooting each other death glares from the opposite ends of the tent-like thing, all because Rafe just found it necessary to put his arm around Evelyn's shoulder. Kelsey sat on my left and Danny was to my right, then next to him on the right were Allen and Mike, and then Rafe and Evelyn.  
  
The roof was sopping wet, and I kept getting hit on the head with rain, in the exact same spot. I ducked each time the water made contact with my already-wet hair. I unconsciously drummed my fingers on the deck.  
  
"This sucks," Kelsey brilliantly observed. We all nodded in agreement. I slumped back against the chain-link fence behind me that served as one of our walls.   
  
"Stop-looking-at-me!" Rafe commanded. Danny looked shocked.  
  
"Well you stop looking at me!" Danny retorted. I placed a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Cool it! I know this is bad. VERY bad, and I am all too aware that this is not fun! But we are just sitting here, and why don't we socialize instead of fight and complain and act like we're going to die here?!" I shouted angrily. Rafe and Danny shrugged. Kelsey looked at me with that look that said something like 'I hate this!'  
  
Everyone was silent, and the only sound was rain on the towel.   
  
"Kelsey!" Allen shrieked suddenly. She jumped about a foot into the air but looked at him.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Why not just call your mom and ask her to give us a ride home?" he asked. So simple, yet so obviously brilliant that it shocked us all. But Kelsey shook her head.  
  
"She's at work, and no one else is home." There it was, our last shred of hope, gone in an instant! Down the drain! I slammed my head onto my knees. Hopeless!  
  
"I have an idea..." someone ventured. I looked up. Evelyn was the one who had spoken.  
  
"By all means," Kelsey said.  
  
"Okay, this is what we do..."  
  
*********  
"Does everyone remember what they're supposed to do?" Mike asked. We all nodded. "Okay, I'll stay here."   
  
On that note, Allen, Rafe, Danny, Evelyn, Kelsey and I ran up to the lifeguard.  
  
"Sir, our friend! He's hurt!" Evelyn wailed, flailing her arms. The lifeguard looked alarmed.  
  
"Um, okay, what happened?"  
  
"He fell!" Allen said hysterically. The guard's eyes grew wide and ran to where we all pointed to. Sure enough, when he got there, Mike darted out of the structure since we had take the roof off, holding the bags. Our group cheered as he outran the big lifeguard.  
  
When he finally met us at the exit, we all ran outside and leapt on our bikes. The rain was falling very hard now, so we rode as fast as we could, our clothes getting drenched. 'We rode through puddles, across slick streets soaked in water and tried to hurry while doing it. But of course, knowing our luck, we couldn't make the trip without a 'little' hang-up.  
  
We were almost halfway home when Danny skidded and fell off of his bike, skinning his knee. He screamed loudly, which must have been incredible since we could hear it over the rain and passing cars. I groaned and hopped off of my bike and grabbed him by the arm, forcing him to get up. I could take care of that later.  
  
When we finally got home, we waved goodbye to Mike and Kelsey and darted inside. I wrapped the soaked towel up into a little ball and tossed into a bathtub, then changed into my pajamas.   
  
If I ever have to cook again, I'll flip my lid. After I changed into my pajamas, I decided just to microwave pizzas for dinner. I plunked a cheese one onto a blue glass plate and slid it into the little oven, setting the timer for twenty minutes. Then I retreated to the living room, where everyone else sat, glued to the TV.  
  
"Come on, guys, let's play a board game," I suggested. They all looked at me as an animated dragon tried to learn to fly. Allen leapt up and dashed down the hall to the closet to get a game.   
  
"Uh oh..." I said softly. For I knew what the little kid would bring back. And what do you know, I was right!  
  
"Look, look, look! Pokemon Monopoly!" he said joyfully. I could feel the color drain from my face. I gulped, since a huge lump was forming in my throat.  
  
"Allen, remember , we aren't really supposed to play that game any more," I said weakly. Rafe began to laugh.  
  
"A board game? Why not?" Allen shifted uncomfortably.   
  
"Well, Skye and I used to play that game all of the time. But it got sort of competitive one day and well..."  
  
"He just sort of accidentally..."  
  
"Dumped some Sprite over her head." Evelyn glanced at Allen and then turned to me, trying to hide laughter, just to be polite. But apparently, Rafe and Danny were not exactly, um, Miss Manners (the advice columnist). They were rolling around on the floor laughing, muttering about Sprite and Pokemon, which I knew that they had no idea what either one was.  
  
We opened the board up and laid it out on the ground, passed out money and chose players, which took a very long time since Evelyn insisted on reading the instructions (which made me VERY angry).  
  
But once this was all done, there was a peculiar odor in the air...  
  
  
*********  
Okay, now I am going to end this here. This chapter was... different. Reviews will be appreciated, like... a lot. 


	15. Monopoly, Candles, Cookies and Rice

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING, REALLY!  
  
A/N: Hey people, am I on a roll today or what? Rock on, me! [blushes] Okay, I realize that this story is now FIFTEEN chapters long! Yeah! Ahem. Hey, I got to use my favorite word in this chapter: flailing. Well, maybe it's just a word that I like. Who cares, I got to use flailing! Ahem, again.  
  
To 2001!   
  
Chapter 15 (!!!!)  
  
I stuck my nose into the air.  
  
"Do you smell that?" I asked, getting blank looks in exchange. Allen shrugged.  
  
"It smells kind of like-," he began.  
  
"Smoke!" I shouted.   
  
We all leapt off of the carpet and rushed into the kitchen, where smoke was filling the room, like a thick fog. My eyes bulged out of my head and I flailed my arms like an insane person. Evelyn was screaming her head off, Rafe was frozen, Danny looked like the situation was humorous to him for some reason, and Allen was bustling around the room, trying to help.  
  
Finally, he managed to react. He walked over to the microwave and ripped the door open, but that really didn't help, it just rewarded us with more smoke and the smell of charred pizza, and flames were flickering on top of the Italian food. The flames licked at the inside of the microwave, and again, time stopped and everybody froze.  
  
Rafe grabbed a plastic cup and turned the water on, his hands shaking the whole time. It seemed like the cup took an eternity to finish filling up, but eventually, the red plastic cup brimmed with water. He sighed with relief and hurried over to the flaming microwave oven of doom and dumped the water on top of the amazing fire pizza.  
  
The death of the flame came as a relief and the water made a hissing sound as it extinguished the fire pizza. Smoke was pouring out of the miniature oven, rapidly filling the room. I sighed happily, since there was no longer an inferno (well, not exactly) raging in the box-shaped cooker.  
  
In silence I trudged over to the kitchen window and pried it open, eager to get the foul smoke out. It was not only somewhat murky in the room, but the smell was awful and it was excruciatingly hot in the room.   
  
In ten minutes the windows in the house were open and slowly but much to our relief, it was leaving. It was a miracle that the smoke alarm was silent, for once. Maybe we needed some new batteries. I sighed unhappily.  
  
"Who wants to go with me to get some stuff?"  
  
*********  
Rafe had eagerly volunteered to go with me to buy candles, incense and room spray, not to mention get some Chinese take-out. So now we were at Dillon's buying candles. Rafe saw a plain white candle and picked it up, sniffing it.  
  
"Rafe?" I said, amused. He looked at me. "Look at the label on the side of that."  
  
"Unscented," he observed. I stared at him, and his face twisted in recognition. "Ooooh!" He put it down and put a lilac candle in the cart. I picked up a large packet of incense and smiled happily, plunking them into the cart. We seized some vanilla and blueberry and cinnamon and apple candles and put them in the cart. Then we got some "Mountain Mist" room spray and "Powder Fresh" also.  
  
Note to anyone who needs advice: when your whole family unit is hungry, go to the grocery store by yourself! Rafe dragged me to the cookie aisle and after he nagged at me for several minutes, I picked up Oreos and Chips Ahoy and put them in the cart.  
  
We paid and left, and then it was time to ride up to Golden Palace to get our food.  
  
"Hello, do you need a table?" the waitress asked when we entered the restaurant.  
  
"Uh, no, we need our take out," I explained. She smiled and then returned with a pair of huge bags for us.  
  
"We included dessert in there, since business has been slow," she said. I smiled, and Rafe thanked her and took the food while I paid.  
  
When we got outside, Rafe was supposed to carry the takeout. I shook my head.  
  
"No WAY," I said. "Dinner has already been messed up, and I've done this before, so I'll carry them, and you can carry the one with the candles in it." This arrangement seemed to work out for him and he accepted the bag of groceries.  
  
But when we got home, there was a disaster scene waiting. Allen had roped Evelyn and Danny into playing "This Is a Stick-Up," his favorite game, using the Monopoly money. Evelyn was the cop, and Allen and Danny were the bank robbers, jumping up and down on the couch, screaming. And Evelyn was screaming about how she was going to arrest them, all the while shooting a dart gun at the two.  
  
As soon as I opened the door my jaw dropped.  
  
"What in the-," I asked in disbelief.  
  
"Oh, it's Skye..." Allen's voice trailed off. But my eyes adjusted to the scene of chaos before me.  
  
"You guys! Clean this up!" I barked angrily. They reluctantly stepped off of the sofa, and Evelyn picked up the darts, all in silence. They put the money back in with the game and put it back into the closet.  
  
Most of the smoke had left the house through the windows but the disgusting smell was still in the air. Rafe took of the bottle of room spray and sprayed it into the air as I ran up the stairs to the kitchen and sat the Chinese food on the counter.  
  
"Who wants dinner?" I asked, causing a stampede. Evelyn grabbed some noodles and an egg roll, while I took the container of rice and some duck sauce into the living room. Everyone soon followed and I turned on the TV set where a man was explaining how to safely babysit.   
  
"Now, you really don't want to cook anything while caring for children," he said stupidly. I screamed. It was a sign, I just knew it. After we were all done eating, I brought in the cookies and the Chinese desserts, which turned out to be oranges with cherries on them and sat them on the coffee table.  
  
We all stuffed ourselves, all the while watching cartoons. I smiled, but it disappeared, since I knew that somehow, tomorrow something else would go wrong.  
  
*****  
Okay, I'll get right to work on the 16th chapter! 


	16. Rafe and Evelyn

Disclaimer: I don't own Cookie Monster, Big Bird, Pokemon, Pearl Harbor, Tabasco Sauce, etc.  
  
To 2001!  
  
Chapter 16  
  
I threw my blanket aside and walked down the hall to the kitchen. Allen and Danny sat at the table. It seemed normal for a few minutes, but then I deciphered what they were whispering about.  
  
"Yeah, she also wears these Cookie Monster pajamas and she has a Big Bird nightlight in her bathroom," Allen whispered. My face twisted in anguish as Danny giggled. I shook in fury, leaping at them, waving my fists like lethal weapons. The two shouted, trying to make me stop.  
  
"Stop, stop!" Danny yelped. I came to my sense and let go of Allen's leg, which I was bending backwards and stopped stepping on Danny's back.  
  
"What did he tell you?" I demanded of Danny. His face turned red before he began to speak.  
  
"He said that, well, you used to have a shrine to a boy in your closet, you like to occasionally watch Pokemon (whatever that is) and you have a pet rock named Sprinkle," Danny concluded with a flourish. I grimaced. Those were some pretty intense things that very few people knew. "Wait, he told me that last night in your sleep, he said that you confessed every single person you liked, including-," I slapped a hand over his mouth.  
  
"All right, that's enough. I'm sorry I overreacted. Lemme make you some breakfast!" I said, trying to suppress a grin that was trying to creep across my lips. I cooked up pancakes, bacon and poured cranberry juice. When no one was looking, I put salt in the pancake batter and Tabasco sauce into the cranberry juice, but only a teeny amount. When it was all finished, I called them in. They sat at the table and put their napkins in their laps. I served the food and drink without any expression. Danny shoveled some pancake into his mouth. Allen gulped some juice. It took an agonizing minute or so to get a reaction.  
  
"HOLY-," Allen shouted, leaping up out of his chair. He dashed over to the sink. Meanwhile, Danny was blubbering. He too darted towards the sink. The two glugged water as fast as they could to rid the taste of salt and salsa from their mouths. In two minutes they sighed in relief.  
  
"Don't be blabbing anymore secrets if you know what's good for you!" I bellowed, flopping into the living room. I threw myself onto the ground, just as the shrill chime of the phone rang out. I swore loudly and ran into the kitchen, where the two mischievous boys were playing Army men. I ripped the phone out of the holder.  
  
"Hello?" I said calmly.  
  
"Hey!" My cousin's voice chirped.  
  
"Hey Mal!" I said.  
  
"Do you and Allen and your Mom and Dad's friends want to spend the night here?"  
  
"Sure!"  
  
"Okay, we'll pick you up in about 2 and a half hours, okay?"  
  
"Sure!" I said, excitedly. "Bye."  
  
"Bye!"  
  
"All right! Yes!" I shouted, throwing my fist into the air. "Allen!" I shouted down the hall. He stumbled down the hall, still trying to air out his flaming mouth where he had run after the hotness in his mouth had come back.  
  
"What?" he said, openmouthed, trying to get the cool air to 'fix' his mouth that was scorched by the sauce. I grinned like a large-mouthed bass.  
  
"We're going to see the cousins!" I said. He grinned even larger. The two of us looked as if we would latch onto a hook and start gulping worms.  
  
"Oh, yay!" With that, I ushered him down the hall. Danny followed closely behind.  
  
"Exactly where are we going, Skye?" he asked, still tired.  
  
"Out to this little town in the middle of nowhere," I replied, fighting the urge to add 'sweetie' to the end. What was wrong with me? I found myself blushing even though I hadn't done anything. Yet. "Well, now we're going to pack," I said, and threw open the door to my parent's room.  
  
Evelyn and Rafe lay in the bed, dressed still in their PJs. I screamed, as did Danny and we ran out through the door. I turned to him once we were safely out the door. His eyes were sort of welled up and he looked traumatized.  
  
"Do you think they-." I didn't get to finish.  
  
"Oh, don't say it!" Danny squeaked, still in a state of shock. I was blushing furiously.  
  
"Well, I'll get Allen to wake them up," I said shakily. Soon Allen had his snare drum out and beat on it as he walked into our parent's room. Evelyn and Rafe woke up with a start, only to find the three of us watching them.  
  
"What is it?" Rafe said groggily. "Are they attacking?" I scoffed.  
  
"No, we're going to stay with our cousins for the night. They'll be here in about 2 and a half hours," I explained, avoiding their stares. I was feeling incredibly shy at that moment. I switched my attention to the closet and pulled out an assortment of clothes for them and slapped them into a small suitcase our parents kept in the closet.  
  
At that point I hurried out of the room. The tension in there was pretty unbearable. Danny and I sat, unmoving and unspeaking as we blindly looked at the running TV set. I caught him glancing at me. I felt very sorry for him, but still. I had to remain neutral. We couldn't let them think that Skye Rocket was in love/like with the dashing, attractive…never mind…pilot who WOULD be dead if it wasn't for some fluke in the fabric of time! Ahem. Sorry.  
  
I could only imagine what would happen in that small town soon… 


	17. It Began With a Truck Ride

A/N: Yes indeed, I have returned! Did you miss me?! [coughs] Oh. OK. ^__^ Oh, BTW, if that last chapter seemed weird to you, it was because I wrote it at midnight. Thanks. [bows]  
  
Disclaimer: Please, my dears. We've been through this before. Let's just get back to…  
  
To 2001! By Skye Rocket  
  
I adjusted my sunglasses and fidgeted as I sat on the hard front porch. Allen and Danny were tossing a bouncy yellow ball back and forth. Rafe and Evelyn talked quietly at the edge of the driveway. I had my nose buried in a book.  
  
All of a sudden, something collided harshly with the side of my head. I screeched and fell over.  
  
"Oh! Sorry there, Skye!" Allen said with a huge chuckle. I groaned and held fast to my head as if it might fall off.  
  
"Are you all right?" Danny chortled. I scowled.  
  
"Fine and peachy," I grumbled angrily. I adjusted my backpack straps and picked at the dirt that had wedged its way under my nails. Just then, our cousin's truck pulled up. Our aunt and uncle sat in the cab and the cousins popped up in the back from under a tarp. They waved for us to get in the back. Allen and I exchanged glances and leapt into the back. Danny, Rafe and Evelyn got in too, even though Evelyn looked nervous.  
  
"Is this legal in this town?" she asked with a hint of worry in her tone. Rafe rubbed her hand as he held it in his. Austin and I looked at each other.  
  
"Not exactly," Austin tittered, with out hesitation. "But nothing's illegal until you get caught, hey Allen?" The five of us cousins snickered wickedly.  
  
"But seriously, you guys, why don't we camp out in the graveyard tonight?" And there it was. So Alden had read my mind. I had always wanted to camp in a graveyard. It didn't take me long to find my answer.  
  
"Definitely!" I cried from under the tarp.  
  
"A graveyard?" Danny asked sheepishly. I squeezed his hand, trying to comfort him.  
  
"It's not too bad, Danny," Allen said from his spot next to Alden and Austin. Mallory and I laughed and I sighed.  
  
"Seriously. You aren't scared, are you?" Austin said surely with a smirk. Danny shook his head and tried to nonchalantly stick his jaw out a bit to look brave. How he thought that that would help, I have no idea.  
  
Finally we got out of town and were barreling down the open highway. Danny was now clutching at my arm. I kept trying to shrug his grip off. But apparently he didn't take the hint and kept holding on as if he were about to fall at any second.  
  
Allen and Alden were laughing at Austin, who was making a cross-eyed face. Mallory was lying on her back staring at clouds. Evelyn and Rafe held hands, not panicky like Danny clutching my arm like he was going to rip it off and then beat an approaching enemy with it like a deadly club.  
  
No. They were holding hands like they never wanted to let go, and not because they thought that they were about to die, but like they really wanted to be holding hands. It's hard to explain; I'm not a very 'deep' person.  
  
I shrugged off my observations and laid down on my back next to Mallory, finally pushing Danny's grip off. I attempted to focus on a flyaway cloud that looked like a rabbit with horns and wings. Mallory and I giggled and I brushed a stray hair out of my eye.  
  
"So. Do you guys want to play truth or dare?" Allen asked. Uh oh, I had heard that before. It was never good. We always ended up making complete fools of ourselves. Not that that wasn't fun.  
  
I frantically tried to remember whether I had kissed Danny that time we all played at the pool. My foggy mind made me mentally kick myself. I had no idea. Strangely I found myself agreeing.  
  
"OK, I'll go first," he smirked. "Alden! Truth or dare?" Maybe I was being let off easily. Allen dared him to scream that he liked to wear a dress. The eight of us cackled like a coven of witches.  
  
"Hey, Rafe, truth or dare?" Alden asked suddenly.  
  
"Truth." Ah ha. So we he was taking the safe route. I felt a soft smile play upon my lips.  
  
"Okay! Have you ever stolen anything?" Alden said with glee. Rafe's face turned bright red.  
  
"Answer it! Answer it!" the rest of us chanted. Evelyn smiled and playfully made a slapping motion at Rafe.  
  
"I stole some Dubble Bubble one time," Rafe said with a regretful look and a small sigh. We all stared at him.  
  
"God Rafe, by the way you said it I thought that you had committed armed robbery!" Austin said in disbelief.  
  
"Yeah. I feel gypped," I said mournfully. He shrugged.  
  
"So Skye, truth or dare?" The attention had shifted from he to him. I felt like screeching at him, ripping the laces out of his shoes (ouch, that'd really hurt…) and laughing all at the same time.  
  
"Truth," I stammered. A look I had never seen before came to Rafe's face. It looked devilishly eager.  
  
"Well, Skye, remember that time I showed you a picture a while ago at breakfast?" Rafe began. I nodded slowly.  
  
"Yeah, so?" I asked, trying to stay cool.  
  
"Is it true that it was of Danny?" I suddenly knew what he was getting at.  
  
"Well…yes," I admitted.  
  
"Well, Skye, is it true that you said, and I quote: 'Dang! What a hot guy!'?" he asked. His words hit me like a ton of rocks. I turned bright red. 'Stay calm!' I willed myself.  
  
"Uh…actually, yes, I did!" I blurted. So much for staying calm. "But you can think someone is nice looking without being madly in like with them, can't you?" For a second I swore that Danny looked sort of hurt by that statement.  
  
Fortunately everyone dropped it. But after that my sprit for playing the game had left me totally. I sighed and leaned back against the side of the truck bed. Soon, I had fallen asleep…  
  
*-*-*-*-*  
  
"Skye, come on!" Mallory chirped. I got up slowly and threw myself over the edge of the truck. "Let's go set up the tent!"  
  
----------------------------  
  
  
  
Sooooo. Didja like it? It's good to be back! Oh, and BTW, Sara, you're totally right. Hayden Christensen is a real hottie. ^_^ Have a nice day!  
  
Skye Rocket (who will post again SOON!) 


	18. Confused Feelings on My Part

1 To 2001! By Skye Rocket  
  
A/N: I am totally cheesed off! I have written about 5 drafts of this chapter and they all get deleted before I can upload/save them!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't think I even have to say it again. Hope not. *__*  
  
More Danny and Skye-ness? You be the judge. I'm just giving you guys something to take about. ^__^  
  
=========  
  
"Skye, come here, I need to talk to you," Allen hissed. My ten-year-old brother had an odd look on as he beckoned for me to come over behind the pine tree at the edge of my cousins' driveway. I was about to cross the street to help set up the tent or something.  
  
"All right, all right," I said. I wondered what would be wrong with him. "What is it?" I asked once I was behind the tree.  
  
"What is it with you and Danny?" he asked in a state of confusion. I blushed bright red. "Do you like him? You can tell me, Skye, I'm your brother," Allen continued.  
  
"I don't like him. It's just he seems pretty sad right now. I've been there; I know how it is. I guess I just figured he might need someone who understands. I know how it is to see someone you like/love going around like that with someone else," I said. I wasn't lying either. The words had come out like a waterfall of words. I had said it before I could stop myself. So that was how I felt. Allen shrugged.  
  
"OK, if that's all," he smirked. I shot him a dirty look.  
  
I crossed the dirt street over to the graveyard and hopped the fence. I wandered about halfway over to the campsite before I toppled to the ground. My lip collided with a root, and in a millisecond it had split open and my blood made a small trail down my chin.  
  
"Yeaouch!" I screamed. I ripped a Kleenex out of my pocket. I slapped to my lip, tears in my eyes. Danny offered me a hand to get up. I took it and stood up, knees wobbling and clacking against each other.  
  
"Are you okay, sweetie?" Evelyn asked, coming over from where she and Mallory had been looking at a small tombstone with a picture of a lamb on it. I nodded gravely.  
  
--------  
  
After we had set up the three-room tent we started down the wide road. The gray surface of the street had cracked, split and just about fallen into totally disarray. Evelyn and Rafe had their fingers laced together and were staring into each other's eyes in a loving manner (same old, same old). Allen, Alden and Austin were laughing and talking about a rabid penguin. Mallory had convinced Rafe to let her sit on his shoulders. If I didn't know any better I would have thought that Mallory was Rafe and Evelyn's daughter.  
  
Danny stared at the houses that slowly passed as we clambered by. We were an odd group. Danny appeared to be taking in every detail of the scenario, in his own quiet way, and not like Allen usually did ("Wow, Skye! Look how blue that fish is!"). I wondered if he was the poetic type. Probably. I took this opportunity to look at him more closely.  
  
Brown hair and eyes. Good build. And nice hair, I thought to myself (what can I say? I like guys who have nice hair). A decent tan. If I had encountered him in the mall or something, though, I thought, I would just mistake him for a pretty face.  
  
But he had come to be more than that to me. He had a great personality. He was nice. Danny was more understanding than anybody I had known in awhile was. He was a lot like me. But still! Even if I did like him, which I wasn't sure I did (at least in that way), he probably wouldn't notice. Stop it, Skye! I thought.  
  
He turned and looked at me. I smiled sheepishly. I tried to act naturally. Danny smiled back, that sort of shy smile that was so cute. I was incredibly confused at that moment. What if I DID like him? I brushed the thought off and joined the boys' conversation.  
  
"Penguins sure can get rabies!" I exclaimed.  
  
------  
  
I laid down on the sleeping bag. I popped a Jolly Rancher in my mouth. We had bought lots of candy, chips and peanuts to last us through the night. But the fun was just beginning. Besides, the sun hadn't even fully set yet.  
  
************  
  
Well, I'll continue it later. This Skye and Danny thing is taking on new heights. ^__^ Have a good day! I'll update soon. After all, I'm on SUMMER BREAK! Happy Memorial Day!  
  
Til Next Time,  
  
Skye Rocket 


	19. Skye's Not Afraid...Yeah Right

A/N: I have a migraine. I am confused. I got Harry Potter on DVD. I love lemon lime Kool-Aid-y stuff. I'm okay, I swear.  
  
Disclaimer: You know what I am about to say. You're psychic! [gasps] Wow!  
  
To 2001! By Skye Rocket  
  
It was around 7:30 and it was unusually dark for that hour. I sat right between Danny and Mallory. I was strikingly scared to the point of needing my seven-year-old cousin to hold my hand. If that wasn't pathetic I didn't know what was. Still, I was absolutely terrified. I didn't want people to see me so scared, and I had to admit I was hiding it well. I was dressed in a pair of ducky pajama pants and a yellow tank top under my Kansas University sweatshirt, which my mom had accidentally bleached. Still, it was comfy.  
  
We were passing around a pen and a paper and writing down our top three fears. I scrawled down my fears. Next we put all of the lists in a metal bowl and passed it around the circle after we shuffled them and chose a list each. I plucked I sheet of paper and unfolded it. I stared down at the paper. It read:  
  
"I Am Afraid Of…  
  
Being Rejected By People I Like  
  
Death  
  
Spiders"  
  
  
  
I cackled under my breath.  
  
"So, are you ready?" Rafe asked. He peered down at his list. "Mine says that this person is afraid of dogs with rabies, tent poles and falling off of their bike." We all laughed. "I think it is…Alden?" Alden turned bright red and nodded sheepishly. I laughed, but I could help sounding a little nervous. So far this game was scaring me even more. I looked back at my paper. The handwriting was neat cursive. The admirable kind. Hee hee.  
  
"Okay," Evelyn said, looking at her paper. "Afraid of clowns, motorcycles, and fire." Evelyn got a puzzled look. She thought hard. "Allen?" she asked tentatively after a few minutes. Allen cheered and nodded.  
  
Then it was Austin's turn. "Okay, ghosts, snakes and spider webs." He grinned and looked up. "This is too easy!" He paused. "It's totally Mallory!" She clapped her hands and laughed.  
  
Allen looked down at his. "Guns, plane crashes and bar fights? Sounds terrifying, RAFE!" Rafe blushed.  
  
Alden stared at his. He sighed and read. "Snakes. Bears. And toads? What's wrong with toads?" We all shrugged. "It's probably Evelyn's." She smiled and bobbed her head like a bobble-headed dashboard dog.  
  
"All righty, this says," Mallory began. She began to giggle. She couldn't stop laughing for a few minutes. We waited as patiently as humanly possible. Mallory was practically rolling around on the floor of the tent. "It says loud sounds, candles and riding buses. Austin!" She dissolved into laughter again. We all joined in. It wasn't even all that funny but we had had too much sugar and caffeine.  
  
It was my turn. I recited my list. There was this incredible long pause. 'You idiot!' I thought. 'There's only two people left that it could possibly be! And it isn't YOU!' But I couldn't bring my self to say it.  
  
"It's Danny," I finally managed to say. What was so wrong with me? I was feeling so stupid. I didn't even know if I liked Danny. Suddenly I got really scared. And not because I was sleeping outside in a cemetery with a bunch of dead people.  
  
"Well, it's kind of obvious who this is," Danny began. "Seeing as there's only one person left." We looked at him invitingly. "This says that this person is afraid of mayflies, bee stings, and falling down." He paused. "Well, of course, it's Skye, but what can you do?"  
  
The others started talking at rapid fire.  
  
"Let's for a walk around town at midnight tonight!" Alden suggested.  
  
"We could play truth or dare!" Mallory cried.  
  
"What about telling ghost stories?" Rafe suggested.  
  
"We can do all that, guys," Austin assured them. Suddenly I had a brilliant idea.  
  
"Oh my gosh. You guys, we can go see Blinking Angel!" I said, not believing no one had suggested it before. Danny, Rafe and Evelyn stared at me, mystified.  
  
"What's 'Blinking Angel?'" Rafe asked. Alden began the story.  
  
Blinking Angel was a huge headstone in the back of a cemetery. It belonged to an old man. He had no friends and no family in the little town, and he arranged his own funeral while he was still alive. He was a very mean old man who kicked puppies and stepped on the flowers that the kindergarten classes had planted.  
  
When he died, the evil old man was buried by his headstone. Everything was normal for a few years. Then one day, a small child was walking by with his mother. The kid wanted to see the angel, so he and his mother walked into the cemetery. They stood in front of it, when all of a sudden, IT BLINKED.  
  
Now no one would go near the angel statue at night.  
  
"Let's do it!" Allen said.  
  
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*  
  
Ah! Suspense! Well, did you like? Please review!  
  
Til Later  
  
Skye Rocket 


	20. Blinking Angel and the Merry Go Round

A/N: All righty, I think I may know a way that Danny and Skye get together, but in chapter twenty one. All right? So hold your horses! ^__^ I mean that in the best sense of course.  
  
Disclaimer: *sigh*  
  
To 2001!  
  
It was now eight fifteen and was pitch dark outside. We were now walking down a long, deserted road. I was left alone since Mallory had forced Rafe to let her get on his shoulders yet again. My warm pink house slippers tickled at my feet and I trembled. I wasn't cold, I was scared to death. Danny walked alongside me.  
  
"Are you afraid, Skye?" he whispered suddenly. I almost denied it, I really tried to.  
  
"Yes…" I stammered. Without warning his hand dropped down to mine and clutched mine in his. I felt my face turn bright red. I was especially glad that Allen didn't notice. He and Austin and Alden were too busy whispering about something or other.  
  
Danny yawned and ran his other hand through his hair. My mind was screaming crazy thoughts. For some reason I was really, really embarrassed. Maybe it was because Danny knew I was scared.  
  
I pasted on a happy expression as we rounded the corner into the elementary school's parking lot. We tramped over the sand and to the playground equipment. I sat down on the merry-go-round with Mallory. The boys went to play on the swings, jumping off in "radical" new tricks. Rafe and Evelyn were drawing with their fingers in the sand.  
  
Danny suddenly grabbed hold of the handles on the side of the merry-go- round. Mallory and I looped our arms through as he begun spinning it. We squealed quietly, not wanting to wake anybody up who might be asleep nearby.  
  
At nine o'clock we made our way home. We were going to see Blinking Angel.  
  
*-*-*-*-*-*-*  
  
I stared around the edge of the tree next to our tent. The angel statue stood tall on the other side of the cemetery. "I see it!" I hissed. We had split into pairs. I was with Mallory. Alden and Allen were partners, along with Rafe and Evelyn (duh) and Danny and Austin.  
  
Mallory and I were the first team to make our way over to the angel. She held my hand tightly. My heart was pounding. I was ready to scream. It didn't help that wild dogs ran through the cemetery at night. Or so my cousins said. Still, I didn't doubt them.  
  
My feet slapped softly on the grass. Mallory's fingers were practically digging into my skin. I was about to turn around and run back. But I couldn't do it. We were halfway there.  
  
The statue was only a few feet away now. Soon we were right in front of it. We were supposed to touch it. I raised my hand and…  
  
IT BLINKED.  
  
My mind screamed in panic, and so did I. Mallory screamed too, and the others screamed. I began running, dodging other stones. I collapsed when we reached the camp site.  
  
"What happened?!" Allen asked. I shivered. I found my voice.  
  
"I dunno…just blinked…blinked! I never go back…ever…if you want…" I stammered. Everyone shook their heads. Mallory had tears running down her cheeks and Evelyn was trying to calm her. I sighed sadly.  
  
"Going to sleep now," I shuddered. I scuttled into the tent. Everyone reluctantly followed me. No one wanted to go and be blinked at. So we separated the girls and the guys by hanging up a blanket, and fell asleep.  
  
-*-*-*-*-*-*-  
  
The next day at nine thirty we were heading back home in the back of the truck. I was still tired, so I laid up against the back of the cab and fell asleep.  
  
*-*-*-*-*  
  
Well, yeah. The ending was a little…iffy, but it's okay? Ah well. See ya later, and be looking forward to the "special event" that I mentioned in my author's note. Only since you asked, *cough* Jules and AngelD *cough* Just kidding. Well, seeya next time!  
  
Til Then,  
  
Skye Rocket 


	21. Mario Tennis

Disclaimer: I want to make it known that I do not own Rafe, Danny, Evelyn. I also do not own Mario Tennis. It belongs to Nintendo. And I don't own 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', as it belongs to Nirvana (I love that song, though).  
  
A/N: Lookie here, chapter 21…and that 'special event' is in this chapter…whee…  
  
To 2001!  
  
I creep down the hall, leaping into the kitchen where I hear a noise. I look up, seeing the fridge is open. I slowly walk over to the other side, but no one is there. I look into the fridge and it seems like no one is there, but all of a sudden, a large green blob falls out at my feet, and he's calling to me.  
  
"Skye, I've come for your SOUL!" he shouts. But then his voice changes. "Skye, Lionel wants us to go to the zoo with him," a new voice says.  
  
I sat up hurriedly, only to see Evelyn staring at me.  
  
"Evelyn, you're not the blob!" I said loudly, sounding very stupid.  
  
"Uh, I didn't think I was. Anyway, Lionel wants Allen to go to the zoo with him," she said slowly. I glanced up at her.  
  
"What? I thought you said he wanted all of us to go!" Evelyn shrugged. I shook my head. "Yeah, sure, whatever. He can go." Allen and Lionel stood in the doorway, watching me sleep. They cheered loudly and ran up and down the halls screaming. My head throbbed.  
  
"Thanks Skye!" Allen shouted. I handed him a few ten dollar bills and a bottle of sunblock.  
  
"Don't spend all of that money. I want some change back," I warned. Allen picked up his floppy alien hat. I sat at the kitchen table. I stole a glance at Danny, who was chewing his Lucky Charms. Rafe was sleeping down the hall, and Evelyn had gone down the hall to talk to him. Danny looked up at me.  
  
"What is it?" he asked. It's now or never, I thought.  
  
"It's nothing," I said. Arrrgh! I was such an imbecile! I have just blown it totally, I thought to myself. "Uh…you want me to teach you how to play Nintendo? I'll show you how to play Mario Tennis." It was the least suggestion I could make. He smiled.  
  
"Sure!" Danny said. I led him into the living room and we sat on the floor. I set the TV up and flipped on the switch.  
  
"Okay, this is what you do…"  
  
-*-*-*-*-*-*-  
  
By three o'clock Danny was a Mario Tennis master. I don't mean to gloat, but he did learn from the best. Okay, alright. He was even better than I was. He smiled proudly.  
  
"Er…can I talk to you for a second?" I found myself spitting.  
  
"Of course." So there was no way to take it back.  
  
"Well, Danny. I just want you to know that I like you. A lot. In that way. You know." Oh my god! I was about ready to begin foaming at the mouth, going into convulsions on the living room floor. I was practically dead!  
  
I was really scared. Time seemed to freeze. I could have ripped out my hair. I could have wet my pants (which I didn't, by the way!). I was ready to have a total mental collapse. It wasn't like I hadn't told a guy I liked him before. I did that most of the time, I realized.  
  
But Danny was so different. He wasn't like other guys I had liked before. He was sweet, he knew me well. He was kind, and comforting. What was I going to do about this?  
  
"Well?" I asked. He didn't say anything. But just then…  
  
He kissed me.  
  
Danny Walker, Army pilot, pulled me into a deep kiss from where we were sitting on the floor in my living room. I was shocked, but I kissed him right back. The kiss ended and we looked at each other.  
  
"What was that for?" I asked, suddenly very shy and still in a total state of awe over what had just happened between the two of us. Danny visibly blushed.  
  
"I like you too, Skye. I just didn't think that you were like…liking my the same way. You know," he said. He had a cute smile on his face. I blushed and wrapped him in a tight hug. He hugged me back.  
  
"Well, I'm going down to my room," I said. I walked down the hall and opened my door. I shut it gently. I flopped down onto the bed. I sighed.  
  
"God..." I thought. What was wrong? My first kiss was supposed to make me feel all…I dunno…floopy inside. It had, don't get me wrong. But that wasn't all I felt. I was scared. Scared I had wrecked things with Danny, scared I would be mocked by anyone who found out.  
  
This wasn't how it was supposed to be.  
  
"Maybe some music will calm me down," I thought aloud. I put my burnt CD into my CD player and turned it on. 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' by Nirvana began playing from the speakers. I picked up my notebook and began committing more time to my newest pastime: writing my own movie reviews.  
  
After about half an hour, dear little Allen came home. He walked in my room.  
  
"Danny told me to ask you if you were all right. He's still playing Mario Tennis and he wants me to teach him how to play Banjo Kazooie: Part Two," he said, setting down a ten dollar bill and a few coins on my desk.  
  
"'Kay," I said, not looking up.  
  
"Skye, did you beat Danny with a spatula after he beat you at Mario Tennis?" Allen asked. I sighed.  
  
"No Allen, I did not assault Danny with a spatula," I said. Allen shrugged and left. There was a knock on the door. I told the person to come in. It was Danny.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked. I sighed.  
  
"Yeah. I'm sorry. I guess I got freaked out a little," I explained as Danny closed the door so we could talk.  
  
"Oh," he said, trying to understand.  
  
"I was just scared. I mean, haven't you heard stories about people who's friendships get totally screwed with when they decide to be a couple?"  
  
"Yeah, and I've seen it first hand," Danny said bitterly. He looked back at me.  
  
"I mean, I always considered you my friend, even if you were kind of a pain," I ventured. "I just didn't want to lose that!" Danny got a kind smile on his face and hugged me. He kissed the top of my head.  
  
"It's okay," he said. "And even Allen, and Rafe, and Evelyn don't have to know." I smiled gratefully. I was about to thank him, when I heard a scream.  
  
"Holy crap!" It was Allen. 


	22. Allen the Mummy

To 2001! By Skye Rocket Chapter 22  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing. I make no money. How sad is that??  
  
Hey homeskillets! What's up?? Right now, I am in the car, waiting for my mom and dad to find a way to navigate our way out of Washington DC, where we were on vacation. Grr. What went wrong?? Let's see, shall we?  
  
First, on our way here, in Columbus Ohio, my dad got a fever and had a big red mark on his leg, so he had to go to the doctor. Next, my brother yelled at me for making numerous lists of who I thought were 'hotties' (Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, etc.)  
  
Then we got to our hotel, and the next day, we got lost when trying to navigate the subway system. And then.remember that spot I told you about on my dad's leg? It turned out it was infected, and my mom had to take him to the emergency room at eleven, leaving my brother and I to stay in the hotel room to watch Conan O'Brien. So then, he had an infected spider bite and had to stay in the hospital for three days.  
  
I have a blister on each of my feet. I had to share a bed with my brother, who, last night, became convinced his new stuffed toy snake is (I kid you not. God help me.) a Communist! Oh, did I mention that on accident, my mom kicked our doorstop and BROKE HER TOE!  
  
This is the best vacation ever. ^__^  
  
STILL MORE DANNY AND SKYE-NESS IN THIS CHAPTER! Hurrah! ****** Danny let go of me from our embrace, and the two of us rushed down the hall. Allen was in the kitchen, holding a can opener and a can of pineapple. Blood gushed from his index finger, and he wailed in panic.  
  
"Auuuuuuugh!" Allen screamed. Danny hit the floor in a dead faint upon seeing the blood seeping from a long cut in Allen's finger. I couldn't help it, I lost control too.  
  
Now I was screaming along with my kid brother, who was waving his hand in the air. Danny still lay on the floor in a dead faint, and blood trickled from a new wound on his forehead where he had hit his head on the edge of our table.  
  
Rafe and Evelyn tumbled down the hall, Evelyn in a silk set of pajamas that my brother had found for her, and Rafe with no shirt. I didn't have time to wonder what they had been doing during this whole mess. I turned to Evelyn, my mouth agape and my eyes bugging out from my skull.  
  
"Evelyn! You're a nurse, right?" I screamed, in between pants. Evelyn bobbed her head frantically. "Fix Allen's finger! FIX IT! Rafe, you help! I'll take care of Danny!" Allen was still screaming and gripping the can and the deadly weapon (can opener, silly) for dear life. Evelyn took them from him and she and Rafe ushered him down the hall.  
  
My heart was racing, and I was alone with Danny in the kitchen. He lay on the floor and I wanted to go over and pour cold water all over him. But I didn't want to give him a heart attack. Especially after he had been so nice to me and kissed me.  
  
I darted down the hall to my room, passing the bathroom where Allen had calmed down and now was singing 'I've Got A Lovely Bunch of Coconuts' as Evelyn and Rafe bandaged his hand. Rafe was wrapping it up like a mummy, as Evelyn tried to explain to him that it wasn't quite as bad as he (Rafe) was making it out to be. I sighed and shook my head.  
  
I looked on top of my dresser and found a spray bottle that I usually filled with water and sprayed on my hair to make it easier to style. I had never revived a guy who had fainted with it before, though. I walked as quickly as possible into my parent's bathroom where I could fill it up without shoving Allen off of the sink and making him cry. Which might be fun, but I had more pressing work.  
  
When it was full of cold, clear water, I turned the knob on the faucet quickly. I swished past the bathroom, where the two 'doctors' were now trying to chop off the cast that Rafe had inadvertently made. Danny still lay on the floor, out cold. I paused for a second. Maybe I should just let him lay there? I didn't want to make him mad because his head hurt after I woke him up.  
  
I knelt to his side and let out the breath I hadn't realized I had been holding in. I shook away any feelings of guilt that remained. Lightly, I pulled the trigger on the bottle, lightly spritzing his face. I brushed the now-wet hair off of his forehead. I patted his head softly and sprayed his again.  
  
His eyes blinked open after a second and his face split into that cute little lopsided grin that I liked so much. I sighed in relief.  
  
"Hey," Danny whispered, looking and sounding weak.  
  
"Hi! I was wondering if you were all right," I admitted, still patting his hair in a weird, protective gesture. His smile widened upon his lips.  
  
"What happened?" Danny asked, his hand on my back. I smiled weakly.  
  
"You fainted, sweetie. You saw how bloody Allen's finger was. Then you hit your head on the table and cut it open. I was so worried," I comforted sympathetically. Danny blushed, but his smile didn't fade.  
  
"I'm really sorry. I just don't like blood much. I don't mean to be such a bother. Hold on." Danny struggled to get to his feet, but slumped back down, shoulders resting on my knees.  
  
"You might have hurt yourself worse than I thought," I said sternly, my hand holding him down. "Stay here; I'll be right back." I sighed. I was no nurse, but ever since Danny had walked in my parents' room after.well, you know, he had been wary of having contact with Evelyn or even Rafe for that matter.  
  
I really hoped that their friendship wouldn't be totally devastated after this. I couldn't help but feel sort of guilty, even though I really hadn't told Rafe to do what he had done. I walked into the bathroom, where Rafe was now being taught how to use medical equipment, and unfortunately, having Allen be the test dummy. I plucked some alcohol and Band-Aids out of the first aid kit that Mom kept in the medicine cabinet. I grabbed a packet of cotton balls off the shelf and promptly left.  
  
When I got back down the hall, Danny had managed to sit himself up against the fridge. I sat down in front of him and unscrewed the bottle of alcohol and doused a cotton ball with it. Danny's eyes were closed and his mouth ever so slightly opened. I shoved the thoughts away for now and turned my attention back to what I was doing.  
  
"All righty," I said with a soft sigh. "This might hurt. I won't lie to you. But here, you can knock the crap outta me if I hurt you too much. Within reason, of course." I looped my fingers through his. I dabbed the cotton/alcohol on the slice through his forehead. I gritted his teeth, obviously trying to be brave.  
  
I kept patting at it with the cotton, and his grip on my hand tightened, until he was whining.  
  
"God, Skye!" Danny shouted. "That hurts!" I leaned in and blew on the cut for about twenty seconds. His grip relaxed, but he didn't let go right away. I blushed and helped him to his feet. My cheeks were obviously flushed red, and they were burning.  
  
I helped him into a chair and tried to look nonchalant by brushing a few nonexistent hairs from my face. Bad move. Danny peered at me.  
  
"Can I ask you something?" he asked as I put a Band-Aid on the cut.  
  
"You just did."  
  
"Seriously, Skye."  
  
"About what?" I asked, although I knew exactly about what he wanted to ask me.  
  
"Us, Skye! I want to ask you about us."  
  
"Uh.shoot?" I said, but it was more of a question than a reply. I couldn't help but feel that I had lost my edge. Danny beckoned for me to sit across from him. Once I had sat, I looked back at him. "What is it?"  
  
"Do you regret, um, us kissing? Was it bad for me to kiss you?" Man, Danny was direct. Normally he seemed so shy, and I knew he was. Maybe he was just trying to regain some confidence after fainting at the sight of blood. He was at Pearl Harbor, for crying out loud!  
  
His question hit me like a box of rocks. I laughed nervously, of course, sounding like a complete idiot. Who's to say I wasn't at that point? I had seen cowboys in waffle irons, a huge fight, time travel, being criticized for my mashed potatoes and of course, being locked in a pool. Not to mention that drink fight at Sombreros.  
  
But why was it that this whole kissing thing was the thing that surprised me the most? Out of all the things that had been happening around here, why was my love life what troubled me most? Was I selfish?  
  
"Err." I was helpless. It was a double-edged sword. If I said yes, he'd feel so hurt. I mean, he had already lost Evelyn, apparently. If I said no, we'd get involved, and when the inevitable came (Danny leaving for the forties again), I'd get my heart smashed to pieces.  
  
"Is that a yes or a no?" Danny asked, a cocky grin on his cute face. Ugh, here I go again.  
  
"No," I said after a few seconds of hesitation. I let out a half sigh, half giggle. "No, Danny. I don't regret us kissing. I'm in like with you, and I don't want it to change. Also, I think you're my best friend. Why would I regret kissing you?" I admitted, placing a hand on his hand. He lifted it and kissed it softly.  
  
"Neither do I." But just then, Rafe ran down the hall. I snatched my hand back.  
  
"Skye, can I talk to you a sec?" Rafe asked. I shrugged.  
  
"Sure, hombre," I agreed. I followed him down the hall to his room. He closed the door.  
  
"I want to ask you something," Rafe began.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Should I ask Evelyn to marry me?" he asked seriously. My jaw went ajar.  
  
"Are you serious?!" I shrieked as quietly as possible, flailing my arms. Marriage? Rafe and Evelyn?  
  
"Sure am. What do you think?"  
  
"I think.do you love her, Rafe?" I said finally. Rafe bobbed his head.  
  
"Yes. More than life itself."  
  
"Then that's your answer. If you love someone, go for it. Assuming they love you back," I added thoughtfully. Rafe flashed me a bright smile and hugged me tightly.  
  
"Hey, do you wanna see if Danny and Evelyn and Allen want to go water skiing?" he asked brightly.  
  
"Ahhhhhhh!" I screamed, running from the room.  
  
**** Hahahahaha. Oh, how I amuse myself. Well, knowing that I might get to our hotel at midnight, I might not get this posted too soon. But it's okay with me. At least I got it done, right?  
  
See Ya Later, Alligator, After Awhile, Crocodile! Skye Rocket 


	23. The Wonders of Hair Gel

To 2001! By Skye Rocket Chapter 23  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own or claim to own Pearl Harbor, Danny, Rafe, Evelyn, or other forms of media, products, etc. Thanks.  
  
A/N: I am still driving in our vacation from Hell. We've just discovered that we need to replace a tire. SEND A PLANE AND PICK ME UP!  
  
--------- I lay on my back, legs draped over the arm of our plaid sofa. I had a wet rag over my eyes and was singing little snippets of songs, just whatever popped into my head. 'Pollyanna' played idly on the television set, but no one really paid much attention to it.  
  
Rafe and Evelyn sat in the middle of the floor, and the last I saw (AKA before I got my migraine headache), they were half-paying attention to a game of Uno. Danny was sitting next to me on the floor and sketching little designs on the back of an envelope. Allen was the only one who looked amused in the least little bit. He was using some hair gel he had retrieved from my dresser to style his hair into odd hairstyles that of course, no sane person would wear in a public place.  
  
I softly massaged my temples. My head was throbbing crazily, and I knew singing wasn't the best thing I could do. But I was bored out of my skull; what else could I do? I squished my eyes shut and removed the rag. I handed it to Danny, who dipped it into the bowl of water he had carried into the living room when I had moaned about my headache.  
  
Softly, I put it back over my eyes and tried to relax. I couldn't do it; so all I did was lie there and feel very sorry for myself, waiting for the medicine I had taken to take effect. I sighed softly, which made my head throb wildly.  
  
"What do you guys want to do?" Allen chirped. I shrugged my shoulders, very bored, and my head a sea of agony. I shrugged it off and decided to ignore it.  
  
"Rafe, can I mess with your hair?" I asked, removing the rag again and setting it in the bowl that was sitting on the end table. Rafe froze, and Evelyn laughed, setting her cards down.  
  
"Excuse me, ma'am?" Rafe croaked out. I flashed him a small grin.  
  
"I dunno. I can do any kind of hair style!" I assured him.  
  
"Come on, darling," Evelyn said with a small laugh. "Just let her. It'll be fun!" She clapped her hands as she said these words. Rafe grinned at the new attention.  
  
That was the difference between Rafe and Danny. Danny was shy. If he had all of that attention focused on him, he'd blush and sputter. Rafe relished in attention. It also made him a bit of a show off. Okay, I lied. It made Rafe a natural born performer. He was loud and proud, and very stubborn, but only if someone other than Evelyn was suggesting he do something.  
  
I suppose he had a weakness for Evelyn, like I had for funnel cakes. But when you think about it, it really isn't the same at all. Rafe would give in at the slightest pressure from her. That must have been the reason he let me.  
  
"All right, I'll let her, Ev," Rafe finally sighed reluctantly. He turned to me and, again announced that he would let me. I clapped my hands and scrambled to my feet. I walked to my room and looked through my vanity for a spray bottle of gel and some teeny hair ties. I knew exactly what I wanted to do to Rafe. Maybe he'd like it.  
  
Grabbing a comb, I walked back down the hall. I sat on the sofa and Rafe sat in front of me on the floor, back resting on my shins. I turned his head back to me so I could see his hair and face better. I turned him back around and began putting his semi-short hair into short, spiky ponytails that poked up into the air.  
  
Allen giggled upon seeing Rafe having ponytails put in. After each strand of hair was put into place, I doused them all in gel. After two minutes, like the bottle said, the gel had dried. I undid each tail and they stood straight up. I combed them out so they stood in long spikes.  
  
Everyone laughed, except Rafe, who still wasn't sure he liked having me do his hair when he couldn't even see what I had done. Allen ran for the camera and snapped off four or five pictures. Danny cracked a faint smile. Evelyn kissed Rafe on the cheek and they both laughed to themselves.  
  
Danny stared at them, surprised and sad. I had thought he was over this fact, that they were in love, but as I usually was, this was wrong. I knew he'd hit the room when he learned that Rafe was going to propose sometime (AKA when he got up the guts to do it).  
  
I placed a hand on his shoulder, hoping to comfort him. Danny sighed sadly. Just then, the phone rang.  
  
"I'll get it!" Allen screamed at the top of his lungs. He stampeded into the kitchen and ripped the phone from the holder and flicked it on. "Hey, dude. Oh, okay. Cool! Hold on!" Allen turned to me. "Can I go see Carl?" I shrugged.  
  
"Fine. Will they pick you up?" I asked. Allen relayed my question to Carl. He bobbed his head. "Okay. You may go. Now go pack and then wait for them." Allen said goodbye and skittered down the hall.  
  
"Hey, let's go for a walk," Evelyn said to Rafe. Rafe nodded.  
  
"See you later," Danny grumbled. I could see why he might have been angry. His supposed 'girlfriend' hadn't officially broken up with him yet. And right now, Rafe didn't act like much of a best friend.  
  
Allen ran down the stairs with his backpack heavy with clothes and out the door. Evelyn and Rafe followed him quickly, grasping hands. I flopped onto the couch again like a dead fish. Danny emerged from the kitchen, an apple in his hand.  
  
"What up, dude?" I asked. Danny expressed a blank look of confusion. I smiled faintly. "How's it going?" His face fell.  
  
"What happened to me and Evelyn?" he asked, not acting like I had said anything. "I thought that she loved me! Maybe she felt sorry for me. Who could ever love me?" Danny said flatly, in a rhetorical question. I beckoned for him to sit by me.  
  
"Anyone who wouldn't love you is stupid," I thought out loud. "Don't you worry about her. She's got Rafe. Rafe is your best friend, right? But she picked him. You should live with that," I added.  
  
Danny's face crumpled. A tear fell from each eye. I wanted to scream. Not only had I insulted him, I had *made him cry.* If that wasn't my ticket to join the Dark Side, I don't know what was. Although, I had never actually rewound a videotape when I returned it to the video rental place. Oh, that's the part to focus on, you idiot.  
  
He avoided my eyes and brushed away his tears on the back of his hand. But it didn't help. They kept coming. Why me? Yup, I am the ultimate evil person. Why on the earth did I DO that? I screamed to myself.  
  
I slid over to him and pulled him into my arms. His tears leaked onto my peasant blouse's sleeve. Again, I found myself petting his hair.  
  
"Danny," I said softly. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it. I wasn't thinking. I'm an idiot. Please, please don't cry." I whispered these words so quietly into his ear I couldn't hear them myself. Danny nestled his head into my shoulder. I kissed his forehead softly. God, why was I such a stupid fool.  
  
"It's okay," Danny replied, voice muffled by my shoulder.  
  
But just then, Lionel interrupted us, as usual.  
  
**** Ahhhh! He's BACK! LOL. Hopefully, that'll be enough Danny/Skye for ya. Hope you liked it. Thanks for reading.  
  
From the Sleepiest, Skye Rocket 


	24. Sick?!

To 2001! By Skye Rocket  
  
Chapter 24  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own, want to own or claim to own any of the characters or ideas of Pearl Harbor. Also, I do not own any types of products, media or anything else mentioned herein. Thank you very much.  
  
Author's Note: Still driving, but now it is the day after I last wrote. I have to have something to do, right? LOL. Things are getting better, I suppose, but we just drove by a nuclear power plant. Spooky, huh?  
  
**** I had made the stupid mistake of leaving our door unlocked. Well, actually Rafe had, so I can't take the blame. Lionel walked right into our foyer and looked up at me where I was sitting with Danny on the couch.  
  
"Skye! Do you want to play? Let's go play town!" Lionel shouted, feet still rooted in the foyer. I quickly pulled myself away from Danny.  
  
"Uh.Lionel, Allen isn't here, and I'm a little busy," I said loudly down to him. I brushed a stray hair out of my eyes. Why wasn't he leaving?  
  
"Okay. I'll miss you!" he yelled back(and I knew he meant it), running out the door and letting the screen slam shut with a dull thud. I let out a huge sigh of relief and slumped back. Meanwhile, Danny had picked up the box of tissues sitting on our end table and was wiping his eyes and blowing his nose.  
  
I rose slowly from the sofa, but then hurried down the stair to lock the door and straighten our rug in the foyer where Lionel had shuffled his feet over it and set it all weird on the ground. I took my time going back up the stairs. I really was a little wary of any further confrontations that day with Danny.  
  
"Danny?" I asked. Well, so much for not speaking for a little while to him.  
  
"What?" he replied softly in kitchen.  
  
"I'm sorry. Really. That was the worst thing I have ever said to anyone. I swear." My first actually good apology. Not bad, considering I'd never done it before, at least so I meant it.  
  
"No, Skye, you were right. Evelyn obviously doesn't care about me anymore. Maybe she never did," Danny said. "Who could blame her?" he added, repeating what he had said early, in a way. I ran over to him and took his hands in mine.  
  
"Don't you ever say that ever again, Daniel Walker. You are sweet and kind, and attractive, and smart, and you are just perfect. Don't worry about what Evelyn thinks! If she can't see what I see, then it isn't worth worrying about!" I proclaimed loudly, hoping people might hear me out the windows.  
  
"Thank you, Skye," he whispered softly. My ears turned bright red, and I blushed brightly.  
  
"Anytime," I said with a soft sigh. I walked into the living room and sat down again on the couch, migraine returning to me again. Danny followed me in there, lying down on the sofa next to me. I grasped his hand and gave it a semi-reassuring squeeze.  
  
"Are you all right, homeskillet?" I asked lamely. Danny stared at me from where he sat, upside down. I should really easy up on the slang, I thought, semi-guiltily. I placed a cool hand on his head before he could answer. His forehead was on fire.  
  
"Yeah, I'm.I'm fine," Danny tried faintly.  
  
"Nooo you aren't," I said forcefully. "Let me get the thermometer. I'll be right back." I left him lying on the sofa as I shuffled down the hall. I plucked the thermometer out of the case in the medicine cabinet and walked back to the living room.  
  
I sat on my feet and he lay back against my knees. I placed the thermometer in his mouth.  
  
"We have to wait three minutes. It's a really crappy thermometer," I explained. Danny smiled and shifted his weight around, sighing contently. I kissed his hot, lightly sweaty forehead tenderly, petting his hair gently.  
  
"Sorry to-," Danny began in his slow, Southern accent. I put a finger to his lips.  
  
"Shh, I can't get an accurate temperature if you talk too much. Just wait a little while, Danny, be patient," I cooed softly to him, when he had closed his eyes. I sighed slowly and continued stroking his hair gently.  
  
"I'm-." Obviously, Danny wasn't getting the message. I placed my finger to his lips again, hoping to silence him.  
  
"I mean it, sweetie," I whispered, leaning over him and saying it into his ear softly. "Be quiet. Or we won't know just how sick you really are." What a pathetic threat, Skye! I felt very shy and self-conscious right then, and I prayed he didn't notice.  
  
Another minute passed on my watch with the imitation snakeskin band. Only one more minute.  
  
"One minute and then we're finished," I informed him. This time he didn't talk back. I lightly traced my fingers over his facial features. Danny shivered, but I wasn't sure if it was because he was sick or because I was tickling him or whatnot.  
  
The minute was over as quickly as it had begun. I retrieved the thermometer from between his lips. I examined it.  
  
"One hundred and two degrees," I read out loud. "Come on, we're putting you to bed."  
  
"Aww, Skye," Danny whined, trying to sound indignant but failing in his weakened state.  
  
"No, no," I insisted, scooting out from under his head. I helped him up to his feet, and he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. Danny followed me down the hall to my room. "Good boy," I murmured into his ear softly. He smiled softly.  
  
I helped him into my room, and laid him in the bed. I covered him up with the blanket. Danny was trembling.  
  
"Now, you sleep," I ordered gently.  
  
"And you go have fun," Danny said, and let out a frail laugh that soon turned into a cough. I smiled to my self.  
  
"Nope. I'm going to stay here and take care of you. You're sick, and I might want to consider us boyfriend/girlfriend. That's what I do. I take care of people. You can't just swoop in here and take that from me."  
  
"But that's my point, Skye!" Danny exclaimed, but then a racking cough followed. "You take care of everyone all the time. You can't take care of everyone, but you try. You need to take care of yourself, too."  
  
He was right, though. I gave so much, but never asked for too much in return. I didn't really need anything either.  
  
"So?" I asked lamely. "Let me take care of you, Danny. You're sick, and this whole Evelyn can't have been good for you. What do you need?"  
  
"I don't know, Skye." I rose from my red leather office chair and walked out from the room. I retrieved a glass of water, a warm wet rag, Tylenol, cough drops, cough syrup and a spoon. I returned to the room and laid all the stuff on my nightstand.  
  
"Sorry you have to stay in bed," I sympathized. "I remember this one time, when it was Christmas Eve. I got sick and went to bed at seven o'clock that night. And now every single Christmas Eve, I get sick. Every single year. Mark my words." Danny gave me a sleepy smile.  
  
"Do you want me to leave you so you can sleep?" I asked again.  
  
"No," he whimpered. "Just stay here with me. Please?" Danny seemed so weak and helpless. Well, he was sick. I had never seen him like this. "At least until I fall asleep."  
  
"Don't worry, darling. I won't leave. I'll stay here," I agreed, sitting down in my chair and crossing my legs. He smile in his cute way, but was interrupted by a huge coughing fit.  
  
"Okay," Danny said, calming down.  
  
"Do you have a headache or anything?" I asked.  
  
"Yeah. My throat hurts too," he added in a frail way.  
  
"Okay." I went into the bathroom and ran hot water over the already-wet washrag. I carried it back into the room and folded it up, laying it over his eyes. He shuddered. I took his hand so he would know I wasn't going anywhere.  
  
I pulled up my chair and sat in it, all the while still holding his hand. I leaned down and kissed it gently. Danny shifted around a little.  
  
"Let me give you a cough drop," I suggested. Danny sighed.  
  
"That might help," he breathed lightly. I reached into the bag and unwrapped a cough drop. I pressed it against Danny's lips, and he opened his mouth. I dropped the cough drop in, and he closed his mouth.  
  
"Thanks," he said, trying to avoid spitting it out onto the bed. I chuckled and brushed some hair out of his eyes. There was silence, and I just sat stupidly in my perfect, flea-market chair.  
  
"You're such a little sweetie, Danny," I mused absently. He blushed and tried to sit up. "No, no, no," I said, catching his shoulder and forcing him to lie back down. He complied, but then I leaned down to kiss him.  
  
My lips met his. The kiss lasted for a wonderful moment. My head was spinning, and my mind was blank. I couldn't think. I leaned away, my hand falling from his.  
  
Danny panicked for some odd reason, and held his hand out, waiting for mine to grasp it firmly. After approximately ten seconds, I reached out for his hand. He grabbed mine frantically. What was the matter with him? I placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Danny, I'm not going anywhere until either A) You ask me to or B) You fall asleep. Don't worry," I said, flattered he didn't want me to go. "I'll stay here," I repeated, whispering into his ear. I kissed his cheek softly.  
  
"Skye," Danny began.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Thanks for taking care of me."  
  
"No problemo," I responded, and began petting his hair again. "Would you like some cough syrup?"  
  
"Will I get better?" Was that his only concern? When I was offered cough syrup, I usually ran away kicking and screaming.  
  
"Err, we can try it, sweetie," I offered in a soft tone. Danny nodded lightly. I poured some syrup into a spoon and tipped it into his mouth. He swallowed it quickly and gagged. "Sorry," I said guiltily.  
  
"It's okay," he said sleepily. I leaned over and kissed him lightly. He sighed.  
  
"Want another cough drop?" I asked. But he didn't answer. I sighed and stood up. "There goes my last shred of self-esteem."  
  
*~~*  
  
I know, lots of sap. Hope you enjoyed!  
  
Skye Rocket 


	25. Dogs and Scars

To 2001!  
  
By Skye Rocket  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Peace. A/N: Hey again. Just wanted to say that. ^__^ Have a nice day!  
  
~*~*~*~*~ I swished my way down the hall. He had fallen asleep while I was kissing him? I frowned to myself indignantly. That didn't do very much for my self- esteem, and when you're young, you don't want anybody to nod off when you're trying to kiss him, do you?  
  
I hoped I hadn't bored him or anything, and I didn't want this to cause a big riff in our new relationship together, and so I decided not to mention it to him and possibly embarrass him. I collapsed onto the sofa in the living room, picking up my sketchbook and a box of pencils. I flipped through the pages of my book to a blank page.  
  
I paused for a second, trying to conjure up a picture of something to draw in my mind, and suddenly it came to me. I could draw Danny and give it to him when he wakes up, and maybe it might be some sort of comfort to him. I moved the pencil over the paper, beginning a stroke of the pencil in my picture.  
  
The front door burst open.  
  
"Skye!" Rafe wailed, hobbling up the stairs. I shoveled the art supplies under the couch as to hide them. I stood up. The bottom of the left leg on the khaki dress pants that Rafe had swiped from my dad's closet was shredded and bloodied. It looked as if he had put his foot through a paper shredder.  
  
"What in the-?" I asked, but I was so speechless that I just could not go on. "Oh my god! What happened?" I screamed.  
  
"He got attacked by a dog!" Evelyn shouted back, taking his face into her hands, and pressing her lips hard onto his to shut him up. Rafe sputtered at her straight-forwardness, but returned the kiss enthusiastically. I mimicked a gagging motion.  
  
"Kill me now," I muttered. Evelyn broke the kiss. Tears continued to fall from Rafe's eyes. "Fine, get over here," I said. "Let me see your leg." Rafe rushed over to sit next to me.  
  
I examined the leg of his pants and grimaced.  
  
"These are my father's favorite pair of dress pants," I said ironically, looking down at his mildly maimed leg that rested across my lap. Rafe's face blushed brightly.  
  
"Sorry, ma'am." I blushed, realizing what I had to make him do.  
  
"Ah, Rafe, will you please take off your pants?" I asked slowly. Rafe gaped at me, and about thirty seconds later, he laughed.  
  
"Err, Skye, I know that we're friends, and I'm flattered, but um, I'm with Evelyn," Rafe said hesitantly, chuckling all the while. I stared at his smiling face, and slapped him over the head.  
  
"Take them off! Okay? Your leg is bleeding."  
  
"No! I'm sorry. You're nice and all, but I don't want you to see me with no pants on!" Rafe shouted. I blushed.  
  
"Fine, you big, immature baby. Have Evelyn do it. You're a pansy, man." With that I walked down the hall and out of the room, but not before sweeping my art supplies out from under our sofa and scooping them up.  
  
"Skye, I'm not a flower," Rafe said, confused.  
  
"Have fun, kids! Be safe, ifyaknowwhatImean." I giggled.  
  
I rushed into my room and quietly shut the door. Danny lay in the bed, a peaceful expression on his feverish face. The rag was askew over his eyes, and I reached out and gently straightened it over his eyes, which were hidden from view. He moaned in his sleep and shifted.  
  
He was too cute to resist like this, and it was all I could do to not start screaming from the rooftops about how much I liked him. I reached a hand out and dragged it softly down his cheek and halfway down his neck, when I felt a scar. I looked down at where it seemed to be.  
  
"Oh my god," I breathed softly, knowing exactly what it was, not even having to think about it too much. It was long, and mostly pretty straight. It was pale white, and looked to be recent, but not too recent.  
  
My mind leapt back to the contents of the movie, and I ran over it in my mind, remembering every little plot line of the movie. Danny had had a huge chunk of metal lodged into his neck when he.died at the end. Realization hit me like a ton of Linkin Park CDs.  
  
But why now? I remembered that Rafe had said they were playing chicken, which, as I recalled, had been about 45 minutes before, in the movie, and undoubtedly much, much before in real life, he had died in the movie.  
  
At this new fact, I was slightly disturbed. So I decided to ask Rafe and Evelyn if they knew anything about it. I wasn't sure if they would, and I'd probably have to prove I wasn't totally insane. But hey, who's to say I actually wasn't?  
  
So, being stupid and naïve, I began to make my merry little way down the hallway to the living room, where and unspeakable terror that I never, ever predicted (which was sad, and almost ironic), was brewing. I shuffled my feet and almost broke into a little song of merriness, as I continued rambling along on my merry little way.  
  
Maybe if I hadn't discovered that scar, I'd never have gone down the hall. Or maybe it was just plain inevitable. Maybe someone was playing a dirty trick on me just to get me down that hall. Either way, nothing might have prepared me for what I found.  
  
I began whistling a little tune as I walked into the living room, but I looked up and immediately froze, then screamed like a person about to be ripped to shreds by a bobcat.  
  
Rafe was sitting on the couch in his boxers, while Evelyn was bandaging his leg. I shouted, but immediately stopped, as not to wake up Danny. I clapped a hand over my gaping mouth, which looked almost like there should have been a hook in it.  
  
"I, ah, I just, ah, came to get, erm, this," I stuttered, picking up a the copy of 'The Joy of Cooking' that lay on the end table. "I'll be going now, uh, have fun?" With that I walked quickly down the hall, mouth open in a silent scream. I walked slowly into my room, not remembering to be quiet. I slammed the door shut.  
  
Danny grunted in his sleep and moved his arm up to remove the rag. He blinked his eyes open and stared at me.  
  
"What's wrong?" he rasped. I mentally kicked myself.  
  
"Oh, Danny. I'm sorry," I crowed, walking over to sit in the chair.  
  
"Skye, what's wrong?" Danny asked again, trying to calm me down. He could see I was trembling.  
  
"I think I've just become scarred for life," I whispered, more to myself than to him. I knew I was over reacting, but so what?  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"I don't want to talk about it," I snapped. I frowned. "I'm sorry. It was just beyond disturbing."  
  
"Just tell me, you'll feel better. I promise," Danny offered sleepily. I let out a resentful sigh.  
  
"You know Rafe and Evelyn.?"I said, sadly recalling the little scene that had unfolded in the living room, giving him a meaningful glace or two. Danny's eyes grew wide as dinner plates.  
  
"Skye, you saw them." he didn't finished.  
  
"No, but Rafe was not wearing pants," I explained glumly.  
  
"Oh," was all Danny could say. I blushed furiously. "Don't worry about it. I've seen worse, I guess." I made a face.  
  
"Why aren't you going back to sleep?" I said in a voice that conveyed that it was half question, half order.  
  
"I want to be with you," Danny replied simply.  
  
"No-o. You need to sleep." I covered his eyes again. Before I could say anything, he pressed his lips hard on mine, struggling to sit up. I responded, but shoved him back down gently, continuing to kiss him. I ran a hand through his hair. Danny broke the kiss.  
  
"You didn't fall asleep this time," I murmured softly into his ear. He flushed brightly.  
  
"I'm sorry, Skye," he said, embarrassed. "I didn't mean to. I was just so tired, and it was really relaxing, and-." I cut him off.  
  
"Don't worry, I was kidding!" I insisted, smiling, and hoping to show Danny it was all right. Sure, it had kind of surprised me when he had, but now I was starting not to mind at all.  
  
"God, we won't be able to leave the room for a while, I guess," Danny cracked with a frail laugh, only to be racked by another cough.  
  
"I guess not. I mean, I don't mind if certain-," I coughed. "-guys-in- boxers are in my house, but in the living room? Couldn't some poor innocent child walk in and be scarred for LIFE?!" Neither of us could actually say what was going on, it was like something we just didn't talk about. Kind of like when your friend does something REALLY stupid, like crashes a bike into some federal mailbox or whatnot. Not that I've ever done that, of course.  
  
"I know what you mean," Danny agreed glumly. We sat in silence for a little while before I remembered the scar.  
  
"Oh, I meant to ask you something," I said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"How long have you had this?" I reached out and traced the scar with my index finger. Danny twitched.  
  
"Had what?"  
  
"What do you mean, 'had what'?" I asked, still stroking his neck. He shivered. "This scar, Danny. You have a huge scar on your neck!"  
  
"I've never had a scar there I my life," he thought out loud, his finger joining mine in feeling his scar.  
  
"Okay. I have a theory of where it came from, but I don't know why," I began. "Don't freak. Remember how I told you that you die at the mission that the man named Doolittle sends you on?"  
  
"How could I forget?"  
  
"Well, I saw that in the movie. You had a crash landing and this big piece of metal stuck in your neck, just there," I said, still touching his neck. "And then, you tried to save Rafe and the Japanese people shot you. So I'm thinking that that spot right there is where you got that metal stuck," I explained.  
  
"What?" he asked. "So what should I do?"  
  
"I don't know. It was just sort of FYI," I admitted.  
  
"And does it gross you out that I had a chunk of metal shoved there and now I have a hideous scar there?" Danny asked sadly. I chuckled.  
  
"No way. One, it's a badge of courage, I suppose. Two, scars are really cool. And finally three: it's sexy." Danny cackled. "That's true! It makes you look tough, darling." Danny, tough? He didn't seem that way to me. He was so sweet.  
  
"Really?" Danny asked with a soft smile.  
  
"Sure," I said kindly.  
  
"So." His voice trailed off. "What should we talk about?"  
  
*-*-*-*-*-*-* And there you have it! Hey guess what? Yesterday (7/4/02) was the ONE YEAR anniversary of To 2001! Whee! Thank you all so much for your great reviews and such, you all rock! Peace!  
  
Til Later, Skye Rocket 


	26. A Long Walk, and My Derailed Train of Th...

To 2001! By Skye Rocket July 5th, 2002  
  
A/N: Hey all! Hope you enjoy, the last few chapters were SAP I know. But hey, what can I say? I was in a sappy mood. Oh well. We're back on track here, hopefully. Disclaimer: Come on, homeskillets. We've been through this. I own no one from Pearl Harbor or any type of pop culture, candy, et al. Thanks.  
  
~ That night, I had slept in Allen's tiny little bed while Danny took mine. I had cooked up a chicken pot pie, and not filled the house with smoke. We sat in silence at the dinner table. After that, I had managed to shove myself into Allen's bed, which was filled with Ninja Fighter Turtle pillows, stuffed elves and other stuff he had insisted not be disturbed.  
  
Allen was one weird little kid sometimes. He still slept with his new shoes, and left more room for his pillows and toys in his bed than he did for himself! I tossed and turned, trying to get comfy. Slowly, I drifted off in a restless sleep. ~ "Skye," Rafe said, shaking me. I swung a hand at him to get away from me. He persisted. "SKYE!" he yelled into my ear. I back-handed him straight across the jaw. "Get up!"  
  
"WHAT?!" I shouted loudly, although realizing my mistake soon enough. "I'm sorry," I grunted, pulling myself into a sitting position. "What is it?"  
  
"Don't we have to go pick up Allen?" Rafe asked.  
  
"Egad!" I shouted, popping my eyes open. "Yes, thank you Rafe. I'm sorry I yelled. Why don't we walk down to Carl's house and pick Allen up, then come back here, get our bikes and go play mini-golf?" I suggested. Rafe grinned.  
  
"That sounds fun!" he chirped enthusiastically. Danny appeared at the door.  
  
"Hey dude, how ya feeling?" I asked, getting out of bed.  
  
"A lot better."  
  
"Wanna go play mini-golf?" I asked.  
  
"Sure!" Evelyn stood behind him.  
  
"That sounds great," she agreed.  
  
"All right, I'm getting dressed," I stated brilliantly. I walked into my room and picked out a blue tank top and my tie-dyed orange, white and blue Capri pants and put on a pair of yellow flip-flops with little dragons on them. I lined my lips with mint Chap Stick and put my hair into an extraordinarily messy little bun.  
  
"Okay, she's ready!" Rafe shouted to Danny and Evelyn, who were sitting on the sofa, not speaking to each other in the least little bit.  
  
And so we walked out the door and down the street. Evelyn had leapt onto Rafe's shoulders, and the two of them giggled like demented squirrels, Rafe trying to keep his balance. I groaned inwardly, those two were so.freakish! Danny rolled his eyes, his hands balling into tightly clenched fists. I ran a hand over the top of my head.  
  
"Will you guys please stop that before Rafe runs into the middle of the street and gets ploughed down by someone's PT Cruiser?" I asked agitatedly as, again, Evelyn laughingly covered Rafe's eyes with her palms, making him panic and run around wildly. Danny faintly smiled, but I could tell he was genuinely disturbed. Maybe he did hope a rouge Cruiser would.never mind, I didn't think so anyway.  
  
Evelyn obediently removed her hands from over his eyes and leapt off his shoulders. I nodded my head in approval, smiling to myself. Danny was obviously trying not to pay attention at the kisses and holding of hands that Rafe and Evelyn didn't even try to hide. Even a person who knew nothing of their situation could see that it bothered the young pilot was bothered immensely by this new development.  
  
I couldn't help feeling intense pangs of jealousy regarding this topic. Danny had kissed me, and I had taken care of him while he was sick. So why was he still so focused on whether or not Evelyn still had feelings for him, even if she was obviously Rafe's chicky-poo? It was a newly depressing factor to me; the fact that Danny may not have felt the same way about me that I felt about him, the fact that I may have just been setting myself up for a major disappointment, something I just didn't think I could handle.  
  
I made a mental note to perhaps discuss this with him. Suddenly, a feeling of rage consumed me. I shook the feeling off and focused on counting the cracks in the sidewalk under my feet. But was I wasting my time? Sure, I was counting cracks. No, not that. Was I wasting my time waiting around for Danny to express his feelings for me? Did he even HAVE feelings for me?  
  
Stop that, I thought to myself. I forced my brain to focus on naming every condiment that I could think of, and then moved onto constellations. No one said anything, well, except Rafe and Evelyn, who gushed and babbled over stupid stuff that I really didn't care about. Danny seemed to be deep in thought also.  
  
Soon we had reached Carl's house. Allen saw us coming a mile away.  
  
"HEY!" he screamed, leaping off the concrete stairs and onto Rafe's shoulders, much like Evelyn had done well before we had come to pick him up. Rafe groaned under the added weight. Allen said goodbye to Carl and we started off for home.  
  
"So, Skye, what are we doing when we get home?" Allen asked.  
  
"What? How do you know we're doing something?" Honestly, sometimes I assumed that boy was psychic.  
  
"We are?! What is it?" Allen begged. "Tell me, tell me, tell me!" People were staring at us as we walked past. I sighed.  
  
"We're going home, we're getting our bikes, and we're going mini-golfing," I explained reluctantly. Allen pummeled a fist into the air.  
  
"All right!" he cheered. We neared the creek, and there was a small bird perched on a rock in the middle of the creek. I soon discovered something about Rafe: he had a thing for animals.  
  
"Wow, Ev, look at it!" Rafe cried in childlike wonder. I scoffed.  
  
"Come on! Let's go!" I insisted, grabbing the sleeve of the Nike t-shirt he wore. He persisted in looking at the bird on the big rock, which I couldn't help but feel might have been pretty annoyed at dear little Rafe gaping at him like he was seeing a bird for the first time.  
  
"Fine, don't worry, I was coming!" Rafe whined softly. I rolled my eyes, and we kept walking.  
  
~  
  
Hopefully a lil bit more humor in that! (  
  
Ciao! Skye Rocket 


	27. He Does Have A Lot of Nose Problems...

To 2001! By Skye Rocket  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, so don't sue me. A/N: Hey there! My b-day is in five days! It's the eleventh. Wheee! I wanna get the new edition of Pearl Harbor for my b-day!  
  
*-*-*-*-*-* I shoved the key into the lock and turned it harshly, making the door creak open and allowing the four rowdy people who accompanied me rush up the stairs. I was walking down the hall to get some money when Allen caught me by the wrist.  
  
"Okay. What is it now?" he asked sternly.  
  
"What? Did you eat too many Pixie Sticks with Carl again?"  
  
"No Skye! I can read people, and you totally like Danny!" Allen hissed. I gasped, dragging him into the bathroom and slamming the door, locking it up.  
  
"How do you do that?" I said loudly. He stared at me.  
  
"So it's true?"  
  
"Let me tell you something. He kissed me, Allen. And I don't know if he really likes me or not. But if you say anything to Rafe and Evelyn." I held up a toothbrush threateningly. "You won't have any teeth left to brush! I will tell them when I am GOOD AND READY!" But I was saying it more for my own benefit.  
  
"Easy, Skye. Remember what your shrink told you. Big, deep breaths," Allen coached quietly. I took a deep breath but stopped.  
  
"I only went to the school psychiatrist ONCE and I was being tested for gifted!" I roared. "I thought Mom told you never to mention that to me ever again," I whispered warningly.  
  
"I'm sorry!" Allen cried. "When-when did all this happen?"  
  
"Well, I was in the third grade and my teacher thought-."  
  
"No, not that, moron!" Allen interrupted. "When did your.love connection, for lack of a better word, happen?"  
  
"Yesterday, when I was teaching him to play Mario Tennis. But listen: I don't know that it was a pity kiss or what?" I felt like crying in frustration.  
  
"Don't worry about it," Allen said. "You know, if he can't see how cool you are, he's a total buttmunch!" Tears welled up in my eyes. Allen may not have been the most literary genius, but he could be totally sweet at time, even when not meaning too. I hugged him tightly.  
  
"Thanks, Allen."  
  
"No prob."  
  
"Hey, how's your hand?" I asked, looking at his tightly wrapped up hand.  
  
"It's awesome! And Carl loved it!"  
  
"Neat," I said, walking out the door. I plucked a few bills off of the bulletin board in the kitchen and got my sunglasses and bug spray. Hey, you never know when a huge fly will SWOOP down on you and.I'm getting the shivers just thinking about it! I hated mayflies, which I've already made known when I told you about that game we played at my cousins. But anyway.  
  
I used the key to lock the front door and then crack open (yeah, I mean it literally.insert sarcasm there, people) the garage door, shoveling out all five bikes. I retrieved the locks and wrapped them around the bottom of the seats.  
  
Rafe, Evelyn and Allen hurried out the door, giggling rambunctiously. Danny followed them slowly, his head lowered and a deep frown on his face. I rolled my eyes. Normally I might feel sorry for him, but now I was really angry with him, and I couldn't help but feel really ticked off right now. I realize it was totally irrational, but I wasn't really sure of anything right now.  
  
I hopped onto my bike wordlessly, my fellow mini-golfing companions doing he same. None of us said anything as we left.  
  
We arrived without incident, although it was a very long ride. I herded the group into the clubhouse and we walked to the desk. Well, Allen, Rafe and Danny walked over to see the arcade games. Allen pushed a quarter into a game, and picked up the game, beginning to scream rude, threatening phrases at it. I blushed.  
  
Evelyn and I walked up to the counter, where a bored looking guy sat, perched on a dented metal stool.  
  
"Hi. I'd like to purchase five tickets," I greeted, shoving a ten-dollar bill across the chipped counter. The clubhouse was old and rundown, but the mini-golf course was actually quite nice, if you asked me.  
  
"Okay, and don't forget, you can play as many times as you'd like," the dude recited dully. I yelled to Allen and Rafe and Danny, who rushed over. Rafe selected the biggest club he could find and passed an identical one to Danny. Evelyn selected a slightly smaller one, and Allen and I chose our usual clubs, which were labeled and were put into little caddies mounted on the wall.  
  
We made our way out to the course, which had a few mosquitoes buzzing, around, although it was nice, on the whole. The three boys hurried over to the big sign marked 'Mini Course 2' and began putting. Evelyn and I began at the first hole. She plunked her pink ball onto the worn Astroturf on the ground and raised her club, preparing to hit the ball.  
  
"Do you love Rafe?" I blurted suddenly. The club dropped from where it had been wrapped in here fingers. She turned around to me, looking at me like I had just suggested that Rafe go and dump her or something, and then proceed to kiss someone else.  
  
"What did you say?" Evelyn asked suddenly, picking her club up and taking a swing. The ball rolled down closer to the hall, bounced around for a little bit and then paused in a total stop. We both watched it silently.  
  
"You know what I said, Evelyn."  
  
"Yes, I love Rafe! What gave you the idea that I DIDN'T?" she cried.  
  
"Well, the whole thing with Danny. You know exactly what I mean," I said, seeing her forced blank look.  
  
"It may have.you know, messed things up temporarily, but, um, it may as well have just made things stronger between us," she said, us walking down to the spot where the ball had come to rest.  
  
"But, uh, what about Danny?" I found myself asking. "Do you love him too?"  
  
"Well.I suppose so," Evelyn said, choosing her words very carefully. "I.I don't know, Skye. I mean, I loved him, but I mean, with Rafe it's different, you know?"  
  
"No, I don't know," I said, as Evelyn softly putted the ball.  
  
"Fine. I guess I wouldn't either." She laughed softly as the ball fell into the cup. I moved back to where we began and madly whacked the ball. It sputtered into the cup, and I cheered, although it didn't seem like a cheery occasion. I mean, it felt like Evelyn didn't know if she really loved Danny ever.  
  
And now Danny was stuck with me. Poor little fellow, I thought. I definitely needed a life. We moved to the next hole, and after that, we kept moving along. But suddenly, the two of us froze in our tracks as we heard a loud scream. It was Rafe.  
  
We rushed over, leaving the balls and clubs right where they were, since no one had come yet. We found Rafe crumpled in a head on the ground, holding his nose tightly, and actually crying. I gasped, and Allen was staring at the club in his hands.  
  
"What did you do?" I asked in disbelief, as Evelyn rushed to help Rafe, who was slapping away at her hands that tried to drag his hands away from his nose.  
  
"No, Evelyn! Please don't!" Rafe sobbed. "Don't touch it! It hurts!"  
  
"I." Allen stammered. "I was about to swing, and so Rafe was leaning over to see if my club was, you know, right in line with the ball." I smiled faintly, knowing that it sounded exactly like something Rafe might do. "But, um, then he said that it was in line, and so I guessed he had stood up, and so I swung the club back, and it just WHACKED him in the nose."  
  
"You did WHAT?" Evelyn cried. "How-how could you do that? I think you may have broken his nose!" Allen was crying now.  
  
"It was an accident! I didn't mean to!" he sobbed, throwing his arms around me and crying into my shoulders. "I'm sorry!"  
  
"Oh, good job, Evelyn!" Danny was shouting fiercely. "It was an accident; he thought Rafe stood up and he didn't! It could have happened to anyone!" I wiped the tears off of Allen's cheeks, and stopping the sniffles.  
  
"It wasn't your fault; Danny's right," I whispered. Allen frowned angrily.  
  
"Shut up, Evelyn!" he exploded. "I made a mistake, Miss Perfect! Maybe you ought to stop fawning over precious Rafe!" Allen screamed. I held his shoulders back, trying to make sure he wasn't going to go and rip her hair out. Danny came up behind him, putting his hands on his shoulders.  
  
"Shh, Allen, don't worry. She's not gonna bother you," he whispered soothingly, so quiet I knew he wouldn't be heard by Evelyn. He was great with Allen, as was Rafe.  
  
Now Rafe was lying on the ground, his head resting on Evelyn's legs. He was still crying, and Evelyn frantically stroked his cheeks and kissing under his eyes. I wrinkled my nose up and ran a hand through my hair.  
  
"You guys keep playing, and I will take Rafe in to see if they can give me a tissue or something. He might have not broken his nose," Evelyn said. I rolled my eyes. They walked silently up to the clubhouse as Rafe continued to sniffle softly. I hurried over and picked up my ball and the club, hurrying up to where the two boys played.  
  
Allen swiped the ball softly, pausing in remorse for what he had accidentally done before to Rafe. I looped my fingers into Danny's, and he gave my hand a light squeeze, but leaned down to whisper into my ear.  
  
"What about Allen?" he asked softly.  
  
"He knows," I said loudly.  
  
"Yeah, Danny, I know!" Allen screeched. Danny blushed brightly. I was feeling really confused. Danny dropped my hand and went over to smack his ball with the club lightly. I followed him and when he was done, I hit my ball also. I frowned as the ball slipped down the small hill around the hole at the end of the course.  
  
"This is fun," Allen was shouting at the top of his lungs.  
  
Soon we had finished and ridden our bikes home. Rafe had clutched a handful of Kleenex to his nose, not knowing if he was bleeding for sure anyway.  
  
"Uh.Danny," Evelyn began. "Can I speak to you for a minute?" Danny nodded, and they walked down the hall. Sure, it was abrupt. Rafe and Allen looked at each other and shrugged. I watched them retreating down the hall, a firm frown on my face. If only I would have known what would happen next. -------------- Yeah, I'm mean.  
  
I got the DVD for Pearl Harbor, the new one. The commentary with Ben and Josh is hilarious! And they make references to Rafe and Danny SLASH. It's hilarious; you've gotta watch it.  
  
Bye Bye, Skye Rocket 


	28. Hamburgers and Chinese Astrology

To 2001  
  
By Skye Rocket  
  
A/N: Yep, I'm fully aware I'm a little crazy. Disclaimer: I own nothing. But shh, don't tell anyone.  
  
~  
  
There was a stony silence in the room. I lay stretched out on the sofa, arms behind my head and the book 'Chinese Astrology' was open on my chest, but I wasn't reading it. Rafe was sitting, perched on the back of the couch. Allen was showing him how many push-ups he could do, although he kept messing up and starting again.  
  
"What do you think they're doing down there?" Rafe asked in a worried tone. I struggled to sit up. Allen ceased in his 'rigorous' exercise and sat, legs crossed, on the ground. I thought for a moment.  
  
"I have no idea, and no care to know," I said wistfully, looking at my bitten fingernails.  
  
"Oh come on," Allen began. "You know you're curious, Skye."  
  
"That I am. But that's life."  
  
"Shut up, Skye."  
  
"I'm hungry!" Rafe piped up. I groaned.  
  
"Forget it! I am NOT cooking another meal for you guys when nobody appreciates what I do anyway!" I hurried.  
  
"Well, neither of us knows how to cook, and Danny and Evelyn are a little busy. Danny can't cook anyway, and, oh, I have a really hilarious story about this casserole Evelyn made! Whoo boy, this thing tasted like a-."  
  
"I will take you out to eat! Okay?" I shouted, cutting him off. "Now, get dressed. Look nice. Really, I mean it."  
  
I shuffled down the hall quickly and flung open my closet. Hmmm. Hastily, I grabbed a white peasant blouse and my blue overalls, changing into them.  
  
"Allen!" I shouted loudly, fishing out two ponytail holders. He ran into the room, dressed in cargo pants and a polo shirt. I smiled in approval. "I need piggy tails," I whined. He nodded and took the ponytail holders from me and crafted two nice, semi-long pigtails.  
  
He was the only brother in the neighborhood who would so something like that for his big sister. And boy, was I grateful. I fastened my nice, 'dance sandals' onto my feet.  
  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Allen said, turning around from where he stood next to the door as I fastened a flower necklace around my neck. "I thought those shoes were cursed."  
  
"They are!" I replied. "I have nothing else that looks good." Allen rolled his eyes.  
  
"Aren't those the ones you wore when you went to the Valentine's dance, and on the last dance, no one would dance with you, so you fled the gym and got a drink, only to learn that some guy was trying to find you to dance with you?" he gushed. I thought my dear brother was going to pass out in need of air.  
  
"Yeah," I agreed, glumly, and scrawling a half-legible note to the people talking. I took a tack off of my bulletin board and a string, taped the note to it and hurried into the hall with my chair. I taped the string to the ceiling so it hung down and they'd read it if they left their room and shoved my chair into my room.  
  
"Thanks for the pigtails," I said softly to Allen. Rafe stood in the living room, wearing a pair of khaki dress pants and a button down, blue shirt. He must have gotten them out of the laundry. I took a few fifties off the bulletin board in the kitchen, just in case, and led the boys out the door.  
  
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- It was dark and kind of noisy in Zio's, our favorite Italian restaurant. We took the seats the hostess led us to, me pulling Rafe along quickly and sitting him next to Allen. I unfolded my menu, even though I didn't need too.  
  
The waitress came, and I quickly ordered a Sprite for Rafe and myself. Allen asked for a Coke. She hurried away.  
  
"Rafe, what do you want to eat?" I asked as Rafe peered at the menu.  
  
"A hamburger." I froze in shock.  
  
"Rafe. This is an Italian restraunt," Allen said slowly. "You cannot get a hamburger. In an Italian restraunt." Rafe blushed brightly.  
  
"Right, I was kidding!" Rafe laughed loudly. "I want some spaghetti." The waitress returned, and I ordered fettuccini and Rafe's spaghetti. Allen asked for a cheese pizza. She hurried away, and Allen followed, going to get some crayons so we could draw on the paper that was laid over the table for that very purpose. I sighed and began drawing a long, loopy line.  
  
Rafe began drawing large hearts on the table and writing "ES and RM Equals Love" and stuff like that. Made me gag, I tell you. I nibbled on the corner of a hunk of bread that sat on a little wooden paddle that the waitress had brought with her to our table along with the drinks we ordered.  
  
"Want to play hangman?" Rafe asked Allen. Allen bobbed his head furiously. They looked at the game Rafe drew, while I stared off in space.  
  
I couldn't help thinking about Danny. Was he thinking about me? Or was he crying his eyes out over whatever he and Evelyn had gone to talk about? I had no idea, it wasn't something I could predict easily. I wasn't as good at reading people as Allen was, but that was just crazy the way he did it. I frowned and tried to list all the stupid things that had happened to me during the previous school year.  
  
I was thinking about falling down in a sack race when our food arrived. The waitress grated fresh cheese onto our food, and I dug in as she walked away. I sighed softly, with a mouthful of noodles, carefully avoiding spraying my companions with mushed-up noodles and sauce.  
  
Allen savagely attacked his pizza, eating it like it was about to kill him. Rafe patiently (that's a new 'Rafe adjective'!) twisted his pasta around the fork he was using. I took a sip of my Sprite and settled in my chair.  
  
*-*-*-*-*-*  
  
Hope you enjoyed.  
  
RE: Rafe and Danny Slash! LOL. In the movie, they added a scene on the Doolittle Raid where Rafe and Danny are sitting in a bunk together and Danny is writing to Evelyn. Doolittle comes in and says 'What are you boys doing?' and Rafe sits up kinda quickly. And then Ben and Josh say.  
  
Josh: Hey, what was that? Ben: [laughs] Josh: What's going on? Ben: Whoops! Josh: [cracking up] Ben: Nothing! Uh, we were just wrestling!  
  
Me and Trevor found that hilarious, and then when Doolittle leaves, Ben goes "Now we can go back to snuggling. Aww, hey sweetie." Hahahaha. And then, when Danny dies.  
  
Rafe [on movie]: You are not gonna die! Josh: You just want me back on that boat. Ben: Yeah, I'm like, 'Come on, honey. Don't leave me.'  
  
Hahahaha. How amusing is that? And if you manage to get the outtakes, there's a.surprising scene with Josh and Ben.email me! I'll tell you all about it, but I don't feel like typing it all up in this document. Peace!  
  
Ciao, Brown Cow, Skye Rocket 


	29. What's Love Gotta Do With Thomas the Tan...

To 2001! By Skye Rocket  
  
A/N: Hey homeskillets! I'd like to thank you all for your nice and kind reviews, it means a lot to me. Yeah. Disclaimer: I do not own Danny, Rafe, Evelyn or Pearl Harbor, or anything else. Peace.  
  
- "That was fun," Rafe chirped as I opened the front door.  
  
"No it wasn't!" Allen and I cried at the same time. I sighed.  
  
"Rafe, dear friend, it is not fun to see you run into a lady carrying a tray of food and make her spill it all over the floor," I asserted, slumping onto the sofa and covering my eyes.  
  
"Or to see you accidentally walk into the girl's bathroom. Again," Allen added sadly.  
  
"It was in Italian! I don't speak Italian!" Rafe whined loudly.  
  
"The translation was written right underneath the Italian word!" I shrieked. Allen gave a weak laugh. Rafe ran a hand over the top of his head, tousling his hair messily. I groaned and sat up.  
  
"That was pretty funny, Rafe," Allen clucked. "Did you see the way that the spaghetti that lady was carrying just FLEW through the air?" He doubled over in laughter, slapping his knees, his cackling peppered with the occasional but profound snort.  
  
"Hey, Al," I piped up. "I, err, just remembered something! Oh my god!" I began hyperventilating. Allen wiped a small tear from his eye and looked at me, then proceeded to put a small paper bag over my mouth.  
  
"Breathe, Skye!" he commanded. I took a deep breath and looked at him. "Now. What did you remember?"  
  
"Uh, you know that Thomas the Tank Engine volunteer thing that Paw-Paw is in charge of where they got that big Thomas the Tank Engine to be at the railroad and have lots of games and stuff?"  
  
"Sure I do! He's been stressing over it for weeks!" Allen said with a soft chuckle, but abruptly stopped and looked at me, eyes practically bugging out of his head. I guffawed sheepishly. "Skye! You idiot! It's tomorrow isn't it?" My whole face turned red. Allen moved his hands to my neck and tried to choke me. I let out a strangled cry, and Rafe swung around from where he was flipping through a German textbook my dad had given me to study for fun.  
  
"Hey! Get off of her!" Rafe said weakly. Allen immediately released his hands from around my throat, but buried his face in the tasseled pillow that Mom and I had made to match the sofa.  
  
As if on cue, the phone rang brightly. I picked it up and glanced at the caller ID. It was Grandma.  
  
"Uh.hi?" I said, confused.  
  
"Hey, Skye! I just called to see if you were still going to Operation Thomas tomorrow." I inwardly grimaced.  
  
"Yup; Allen and I have been thinking about that for at least a week, and we're REALLY excited!" I lied through incredibly tightly gritted teeth.  
  
"Oh, that's great. Well, got to go, your grandpa is going crazy. He's really worried about this whole thing. Bye!" With that, she hung the phone up. I growled and stomped down the hall, flung the door to my bedroom open and flopped limply into my bed.  
  
"Skye?" Danny's voice was right in the room with me. I looked to my left. I hadn't, for some dumb reason, seen him sitting in my leather chair. I hurriedly sat up. At least I hadn't started changing clothes yet, huh?  
  
"Yeah?" Danny looked terrible, he seemed to have been crying, and just saying my name had seemingly evoked more tears. I wiped one away idly with my thumb. "What's-what's wrong?" I asked softly.  
  
"She, she doesn't." Danny's voice trailed off. He didn't have to say anymore, just those words made everything apparent to me. I made a small strangled noise, and my mind panicked.  
  
"Oh." What the heck was that! Skye, you SUCK at comforting people. "Danny, I'm so sorry." I forced a smile. "But you've got me, right?" He didn't smile back. I sighed. Way to go, Danny, I thought sadly. Diminish this poor little chicky's self esteem. I sighed again (I bet you've noticed I do that a lot).  
  
"I-I'm sorry, Skye. I love you too. But Evelyn was the first girl I've ever felt that way about and stuff." He paused and a look of horror crossed his face. "Did I just say 'love' a few seconds ago?!"  
  
"Yeah. You did," I mused absently. Danny chuckled, sounding very nervous.  
  
"Sorry. I just, you know, got a little confused. Was that wrong?" he asked, expressing genuine concern.  
  
"No way! Just a little, err, unexpected I guess," I admitted. Danny gave me his cute little smile. Finally, I thought. He hadn't smiled all day. Danny reached over and took my hand gently. I blushed brightly.  
  
"Good," he said shyly. We giggled together. I brushed a little hair out of his eyes, and he looked back at me. He leaned forward, and once again, our lips met. It lasted a wonderful moment, and then we leaned away.  
  
"Come on, Danny, you don't need her," I insisted quite forcefully. He paused a moment and looked at our hands, his holding mine. Finally, he nodded.  
  
"You're right. Skye, I love you," Danny agreed after a long hesitation. I smiled brightly and wrapped my arms around him.  
  
"I love you too," I said ecstatically and kissed his forehead.  
  
"So. What was Allen screaming about?" Danny asked. I blushed brightly and let out a deep breath.  
  
"Well. Tomorrow, we are going to volunteer at the railroad, where my grandpa keeps his caboose, as you know. And Thomas the Tank Engine is coming down and people are riding the train, and they're having games, and stuff like that. We have to work though. It's an obligation. My grandpa works there; he's in charge. But we'll have fun, right?" I asked with a sheepish smile.  
  
"Are we all coming?"  
  
"Sure!" I said happily. "And, I was thinking. Maybe you and I can sneak off from working in the photo booth and go ride the train or something. We can be alone. Well, not entirely, there'll be lots of kids and parents around. But we'll see, right?" I asked.  
  
"Oh yeah!" he agreed.  
  
"All righty. We need to lay out your clothes. For tomorrow. We have to get up at 7:30. No sandals. It may rain and that gets very bad for your feet. Trust me," I said in a regretting tone. I laid out my patched and ripped jeans, plaid sneaker/clogs, and a purple peasant blouse.  
  
"Do your cousins have to work?"  
  
"Yes. They just arrived at my grandma's house today, I think. Oh, and I'm slated to cook us all dinner tomorrow. At grandma's house. You'll help me, right?"  
  
"Oh, great. Your cousins are real sweeties. And yeah, I'll help."  
  
"Real sweeties?" I felt his head. "Are you all right?" He giggled.  
  
"Yeah, Skye." Danny ruffled my hair. "You're such a sweetheart. You've helped me through this thing with Rafe and Evelyn, let me stay in your house, not slapped me when I kissed you, and you took care of me while I was sick." I beamed brightly upon hearing this and gave him a peck on the cheek.  
  
"You're so great, too. You didn't freak when I told you I liked you. You let me take care of you. Which, as you know, is what I enjoy." Danny grinned and played with the end of one of my piggy tails, dusting it over my nose and my cheeks.  
  
"I need to pick out my clothes, right?" he asked. "Can you help me?"  
  
"Of course." I led him to my parent's room and flung open the closet, shifting my eyes to my father's side of the closet. "Long or short pants?"  
  
"Long." I handed him a pair of baggy cargo pants. He held them up and looked at them happily.  
  
"Short, long, or no sleeves?"  
  
"None. I'll be getting awfully warm in these," Danny said with a grin, holding up the pants. I handed him a sleeveless white shirt (A/N: Like the one in the beginning of the movie at the hospital and he's helping Rafe with the eye test? I can see it now.). I picked a red Hawaiian shirt with a white t-shirt under it, and olive shorts for Rafe. Evelyn would wear a pair of denim overalls and a red t-shirt with flowers around the collar.  
  
"Allen!" I yelled to my kid brother. "Pick your clothes, and remember your Thomas shirt!" Allen groaned and ran down the hall. The Thomas company, the one that sends the engine (which looks JUST LIKE Thomas) around the country, sent Paw-Paw t-shirts for the staff. But they only had medium and small shirts in adult sizes, and of course, Rafe and Evelyn and Danny didn't have shirts. I didn't wear mine, because everyone wore those at the railroad (or so I could predict), and as you may have guessed, I have to be an individual.  
  
---  
  
Well, well. Sounds fun. And just for FYI: the Thomas thing did happen. I wrote about it in my live journal. Fun fun.  
  
Danny and Skye-ness abound. Hope it's not too sappy. Romantic train ride coming up soon? Yeah buddy!  
  
Buh Bye!  
  
Skye Rocket 


	30. Thomas the Tank Engine Scares Me

To 2001! By Skye Rocket  
  
Disclaimer: I am not claiming ownership to anything. So stop calling!  
  
A/N: Hey. Just wanted to say that. So. Hey. I'm a freak, huh? ROMANTIC TRAIN RIDE! Maybe it's just me, but I find that hilarious. I have a problem. Although I know not what it is.  
  
-  
  
I groaned and shoved my pillow over my head. I couldn't breathe, so I moved it away. I growled and muttered a long string of swears that would make my parents blush and die. I blinked my eyes open, to see Danny, fully dressed, standing over my bed.  
  
"Skye, come on. Your grandmother will be here soon."  
  
"I'm sleepy, Danny," I moaned.  
  
"If you get up, I'll kiss you." That was all it took. I rolled out of bed, stood up and crushed my lips on Danny's. Soon he broke the kiss. "Get dressed!" Danny commanded, but in a playful way. I ran to the bathroom, threw my clothes on and put my hair up with a clip and a ponytail holder. I put on a spot of lip gloss, and picked up some sunscreen and bug spray.  
  
I doused myself in it and tossed it to Danny. He did the same, and gave them to Allen, who would continue passing them on.  
  
I hurried out the door, picking up Allen's and mine VIP tags and grabbing money. Grandma could give them some more VIP tags. My companions followed me, and our grandma was waiting for us. Paw-Paw had already gone down to the railroad, even earlier to set things up for his big day. Evelyn took the front seat, Rafe and Allen took the captain's chair, and Danny and I scuttled into the backseat.  
  
The car roared away, and Danny cautiously slithered his hand over to mine and held it gently, making me smile calmly. But I felt myself falling asleep.  
  
-  
  
I blinked as the car ground to a stop. I shifted my weight a little.  
  
"Wake up," Danny whispered softly. I saw where I was lying. I had fallen asleep and my head rested on his leg.  
  
"Oh. Right," I said softly. "Sorry, Danny." We scrambled out the car door, which was parked across from where the huge Tank Engine stared down at us. I shuddered under the watchful eye of the cartoon-like freak. My feet crunched over the awkward rocks of the railroad. Soon we had crossed the street to the photo booth.  
  
It was behind the depot, and in front of the depot was the large park, where swings, slides, storytelling, fake tattoos, food stands and the merchandize tent stood.  
  
The air was hot and heavy, and instantly I broke into a warm sweat because of my long jeans with the flapping flared legs. Small children ran around and giggled annoyingly. It was going to be a long day. And weekend. And next weekend. I almost collapsed under the weight of that realization.  
  
This was my life for two weeks! Weekends were for Mystery Science Theater, and for Saturday Night Live; not for waiting for a man to hush his wailing child as they watched the train pull away, while trying to pick up the photos my uncle was taking with his digital camera and printing out on two miniature printers. I was stuck here selling pictures, riding trains, eating funnel cakes and trying to keep Allen out of trouble, all at the same time. It just wasn't RIGHT!  
  
At least I had Danny, right? Of course.  
  
I gave my grandpa a light peck on the cheek and left Danny to sit on the stool I was claiming for myself. I hustled into the depot and took two cans of Pepsi out of the huge ice crate in the employees' only area of the depot. Free sodas, what can you do?  
  
"Here you go," I said, handing one of the icy colas to Danny, as he looked around, bewildered. Aunt Marleena was trying to sell someone their picture my uncle had taken, but a wailing baby busied the person. Danny looked like he could scream at any second. I frowned and opened my pop.  
  
I patted Danny softly on the shoulder. He stood up and I took his seat to try to help out my aunt.  
  
-  
  
It was now noon, and after only four or so hours, I was in a hugely temperamental mood. Rafe had decided to go with Allen, Alden and Austin to sell pre-taken pictures of the tank engine. Evelyn was working in the tattoo booth. Mallory and I sat and handed out pictures with Danny, as Paw- Paw instructed his fleet of volunteers, Aunt Marleena and Grandma tried to help take pictures and Uncle Tommy handed me memory sticks with pictures on them to print. It was exhausting.  
  
I was almost crying in frustration over this whole scenario as I gingerly ate a peanut butter cookie that came in the free Mr. Goodscents lunches everyone that was working could 'enjoy' as often as the wanted to. I needed to get away. But how? Fake a heart attack and then run? Walk away to claim that I was looking someone?  
  
But then it hit me! I could just ask to ride the train. True, I'd have to bring my cousins and Allen, perhaps. But that was a risk that I knew I would care to take. Danny and I skittered away, explaining where we were going in haste. Mallory leapt onto my shoulders as we walked away. I grunted under the suddenly added weight.  
  
When we reached the line to get on the train, it was already rushing towards the train and out from under the tent. The three of us flashed our VIP passes to the conductor and hurried to a seat in the very back of one of the coaches. I sat next to Danny, and Mallory sat in the seat facing ours. She looked at me intently.  
  
"What is it? Do I have mayo on my face?" I asked, a hand flying up to my cheek instantly. I was sitting next to the window, and my elbow whacked the frame. I howled in pain as it struck a nerve in me, making several people turn to look at us.  
  
"Nope. I was just wondering, Skye. Are you and Danny," she begun, pausing. "Ya know?" I blushed a dark shade of red, and I didn't know exactly how to respond to that. Luckily, Danny responded for me.  
  
"Yep, we are," he said proudly, putting an arm around me. I beamed with pride, and Mallory laughed and clapped her hands. My head came to rest comfortably on Danny's shoulder and a peaceful smile fell on my lips.  
  
"So, Mal, you're staying at Grandma's all week until next Monday?"  
  
"Yeah, we just don't want to drive home and wait a week and drive back. Weird, huh?"  
  
"Yeah. Very." The train began to grind to a start, and I felt Danny tense. He was so cute when he appeared to be afraid. "You scared?" I asked quietly.  
  
"Maybe a little."  
  
"Don't worry, sweetie. I won't let anything happen to you. I wouldn't bring you on here if something could go wrong. Trust me."  
  
"All right," he agreed, although sounding half reluctant. I nestled my head on his shoulder and let my arm dangle lazily out the window.  
  
"Does Allen know?" Mallory asked suddenly.  
  
"Yeah. But if you would, please don't tell Grandma and Paw-Paw, or your parents. And especially Rafe and Evelyn, Mallory. It's SO important," I insisted.  
  
"Geez, Skye, don't have a heart attack," Mallory said calmly. "I'll take it to the grave." I smiled gratefully. "What if Austin and Alden find out?"  
  
"Oh, they're with Allen. I'm sure they already know," Danny said dryly. Mallory and I giggled like a pack of loonies. "Not that I mind of course. Skye is so wonderful. She's kind and nice and-." Mallory cut him off.  
  
"Someone who's still afraid of the dark!" I blushed at this new revelation.  
  
"I'm not that great, honey," I mumbled, embarrassed. He shook his head and ran a hand over my head.  
  
"Hey, Skye. Let's see if you can Danny and Rafe and Evelyn and Allen can stay at Grandma's tonight!" Mallory cried suddenly, her face glowing in excitement.  
  
Oh man. Now THAT might be interesting.  
  
-  
  
Well, there you've got it. ^__^  
  
This is getting to be a long story. Too long? What do you think? Let me know.  
  
Ciao!  
  
Skye Rocket 


End file.
